A record number of wildfires across the country have been recorded this year (Picture: AFP)
A record number of wildfires across the country have been recorded this year 

The massive scale of fires burning in the Amazon is illustrated by this map, showing how the rainforest is burning for hundreds of miles.

Hundreds of separate fires are ravaging the forest, spreading across Brazil and into Bolivia and Paraguay.

A record number of wildfires across the country have been recorded this year, up 84% over the same period in 2018.

Satellite images show smoke from the Amazon reaching across the Latin American continent to the Atlantic coast and Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, which was plunged into darkness.

About 745,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed, with the crisis set to be a focus of the G7 summit in France this weekend.

Amazon fires Inforgraphic / map Picture: AFP METROGRAB
The huge scale of the fires is seen in this map (Picture: AFP)

French president Emmanuel Macron has called the wildfires an international crisis and said the leaders of the G7 group of nations should hold urgent discussions about them.

He tweeted: ‘Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest – the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire.’

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro fired back with his own tweet, writing: ‘I regret that Macron seeks to make personal political gains in an internal matter for Brazil and other Amazonian countries. The sensationalist tone he used does nothing to solve the problem.’

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/REX (10370193d) A raging fire in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Fires in the Amazon Rainforest, Tocantins, Brazil - 17 Aug 2019 Data from the National Institute for Space Research show that the number of forest fires in Brazil soared by 82 percent from January to August this year compared to the same period last year.
A raging fire in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Tocantins, Brazil (Picture: Rex)
CORRECTION - This August 21, 2019, satellite image obtained courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the smoke of several fires in the Brazilian states of Amazonas of Mato Grosso (bottom R) and Rondonia (bottom C). - Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil have ignited a firestorm on social media, with President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday suggesting green groups started the blazes. (Photo by HO / NOAA / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / NOAA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS --- / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by HO has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [of Mato Grosso and Rondonia] instead of [Para, Mato Grosso and Rondonia]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.HO/AFP/Getty Images
The smoke of several fires in the Amazon can be seen in satellite images (Picture: AFP)
REFILE - REMOVING EXTRA CHARACTERS Indigenous people from the Mura tribe shows a deforested area in unmarked indigenous lands inside the Amazon rainforest near Humaita, Amazonas State, Brazil August 20, 2019. Picture taken August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
Indigenous people from the Mura tribe look on a deforested area near Humaita, Amazonas State (Picture: Reuters)

Satellite images show smoke from the Amazon reaching across the Latin American continent to the Atlantic coast and Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted: ‘In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected.’

Brazil contains about 60% of the Amazon rainforest, whose degradation could have severe consequences for global climate and rainfall.

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