{
  "id": 13401789,
  "title": "Wildfire smoke shuts schools in Amazon's biggest city",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/wildfire-smoke-shuts-schools-in-amazons-biggest-city",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-10T11:59:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wildfire-schools-amazon-biggest-city.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The largest city in Brazil's Amazon region, Manaus, announced the closure of all public schools on Friday due to widespread wildfire smoke. This comes amid an increasingly severe El Niño event, which has brought extreme weather conditions to the country. Brazil is grappling with the consequences of one of the strongest El Niño events in decades, according to government warnings. These conditions will bring more rain and floods to the southern regions and drought and wildfires to the northern areas.\n\nAmazonas state documented more than 3,700 fire hotspots in September, a number nearly four times greater than the previous year, as per satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE). On just one day, Wednesday, over 749 fires were active, resulting in poor air quality in Manaus, a city of 2.3 million inhabitants. The smoky conditions, coupled with extreme heat, exacerbated breathing difficulties for residents.\n\nThe city administration stated that the school closures were implemented to safeguard the health, welfare, and safety of students and education personnel. The heat reached a scorching 40°C (104°F) in Manaus on Thursday, prompting authorities to advise people to refrain from outdoor activities. This is not the first time Manaus has experienced smoke-filled skies; the city was similarly shrouded in haze just a month ago.\n\nThe El Niño phenomenon, a natural climate variation, warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, leading to worldwide shifts in wind and rainfall patterns. This year's episode is forecasted to be the strongest on record, peaking in December. The Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, stores immense amounts of carbon, playing a vital role in combating global warming. Unfortunately, the region is currently facing wildfire smoke, contributing to deteriorating air quality and heightened respiratory health risks.",
  "summary": "The largest city in the Brazilian Amazon, Manaus, closed public schools on Friday as smoke from hundreds of wildfires blanketed the metropolis amid an intensifying El Niño event.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}