Cuiaba, Brazil - September 15, 2024

Smoke from wildfires shrouding over many parts of Mato Grosso, the most severely impacted state by wildfires in Brazil, has caused discomfort among local residents as it persists due to prolonged heatwave.

According to statistics from the National Institute for Space Research, as of Friday, Brazil had recorded over 180,000 wildfires in 2024, with nearly 40,000 of them occurring in Mato Grosso state, ranking it first among all the states in Brazil.

Residents of Cuiaba, the capital of Mato Grosso, said while high temperatures and dry weather were typical in the city in previous years, the prolonged heatwave coupled with smoke this year is highly unusual.

According to the local fire department, 1,000 firefighters are battling fires across multiple locations in Mato Grosso. The state encompasses three vital biomes -- the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado savannah, and the Pantanal wetlands. Currently, the fires in the Pantanal wetlands are largely contained, yet numerous active fire points persist in the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savannah.

Shotlist:
Cuiaba, Mato Grosso State, Brazil - Sept 13, 2024:
1. Aerial shots of view from plane showing smoke shrouding over city
2. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Guilherme Rodrigues Mendes, resident:
"The smoke is worsening. The situation has been very dire over the past two months. We have not had rain for over 100 days. Low humidity, below 10 percent, is a huge problem, necessitating extensive use of humidifiers for us.";
3. Aerial shot of smoke shrouding over city;
4. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Navai, resident (full name not given, starting with shot 3):
"The weather is quite bad. I feel terrible. I have been sick at least three times. My throat is extremely dry, leading to coughing and feeling nauseous.";
5. Street view, traffic;
6. Various of forests, traffic;
7. Building, traffic, national flag of Brazil.

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