Sônia Maria Martins Cavalcante, a civil servant, has lived in the rural area of Monte Cristo, in Boa Vista - the capital of Roraima - for more than 30 years. The Brazilian state is facing a severe drought and several outbreaks of fire during this period. The resident comments that she has never seen such frequent and large fires as this year. "It's coming in immense proportions. In the morning when we wake up everything is white with smoke. You sleep with the smell and breathe in the smoke all day. My mum, who lives with me, is 90 years old. We both have asthma, a condition that gets worse when we inhale a lot of smoke. It's hard to breathe and we get very ill," said the civil servant. "Without rain there's no way of putting out the flames, which is why many areas have outbreaks of fire. This is very sad, because animals die, the environment is affected and we all suffer as a result," said Sônia. It's the worst incidence I can remember, even with the big fires of 2016, due to the dry season. This year has broken all records," commented civil servant Sônia Maria.

Fonte: Agência Amazônia