Brazil's Amazonas state recorded 1,679 fires in the first two weeks of October, up 253% from the same period last year, according to the country's Amazon surveillance system, Reuters reports. At least 36 municipalities declared emergencies, outdoor events in Manaus were cancelled, and public schools there closed on Wednesday. Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco, who flew over the area, said fires do not start on their own in the Amazon biome and blamed deliberate action, possibly to clear forest. Scientists point to an El Niño forecast to be among the strongest on record, and to climate change, for rains that have been slow to arrive.