奥塔泽斯，巴西，10月13日 - 厄尔尼诺现象、气候变化和人类活动正在推动巴西亚马逊地区深处的火灾本月激增，消防员们正争分夺秒地控制火势，火灾产生的烟雾正在窒息居民，并导致附近城镇的活动被取消。
AUTAZES, Brazil, Oct 13 - El Niño, climate change and human activity are fueling a surge in fires deep in Brazil's Amazon this month, as firefighters race to contain blazes whose smoke is choking residents and causing events to be cancelled in nearby towns.
根据该国亚马逊监测系统的数据，巴西亚马逊州在10月前两周发生了1679起火灾，比去年同期激增253%。
There were 1,679 fires in Brazil's Amazonas state in the first two weeks of October, a 253% surge compared to the same period last year, according to data from the country's Amazon surveillance system.
官员们怀疑这些火灾是人为纵火引起的，火灾导致烟雾弥漫天空，并在亚马逊州至少36个市镇引发紧急状态，导致居民出现呼吸问题。
The fires, which officials suspect were set on purpose, have sent plumes of smoke across the sky and provoked states of emergency in at least 36 municipalities across Amazonas, causing respiratory problems for residents.
“我们这里的情况很危急，”该州奥塔泽斯市镇的退休农民路易斯·里奥斯说，他夜间呼吸困难，导致面部肿胀。
"Our situation here is critical," said Luiz Rios, a retired farmer in the state's Autazes municipality who has struggled to breathe at night, causing his face to swell.
火灾导致的空气质量恶劣迫使巴西亚马逊州首府马瑙斯取消户外活动，该市拥有超过200万居民，周三公立学校停课。
Poor air quality from the fires has canceled outdoor events in Manaus, the state's capital and home to over 2 million residents, where public schools closed on Wednesday.
八月和九月通常是亚马逊旱季的高峰期，此时火灾更难以控制，而雨季通常在十月开始时会带来缓解。
August and September are usually the height of the dry season in the Amazon, when fires become harder to control before the rainy season's onset usually brings relief in October.
然而今年，降雨迟迟未能带来缓解。科学家和官员指出，厄尔尼诺现象被预测为有史以来最强，以及气候变化是火灾激增的驱动因素。
This year, however, rains have been slow to bring relief. Scientists and officials point to the El Niño phenomenon, which is predicted to be the strongest on record, and climate change as drivers of the surge in fires.
“水分胁迫和热胁迫正以极端强度袭击该地区，叠加人类活动，这可能造成危险局面，威胁到该地区的生物多样性、人们的健康以及这些土地的生产力，”亚马逊环境研究所的地理学家和研究员卡洛斯·杜里根说。
“Water stress and heat stress are hitting with extreme intensity, creating a potentially dangerous situation that, compounded by human activity, threatens this biodiversity, people’s health, and the productivity of these lands," said Carlos Durigan, a geographer and researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute.
巴西联邦政府和民防部门在周末向亚马逊州派遣了飞机和消防队伍，以扑灭火灾。
Brazil's federal government and civil defense sent aircraft and brigade crews to Amazonas over the weekend to combat the flames.
巴西环境部长若昂·保罗·卡波比亚科周日飞越该州时，在受保护的森林内发现了火情，其部门称这表明是蓄意纵火，旨在为砍伐森林清除道路。该部门已承诺展开调查。
Brazil’s environment minister, João Paulo Capobianco, flew over the state on Sunday and spotted fires inside protected forest, which his ministry says points to deliberate arson meant to clear the way for deforestation. The ministry has promised an investigation.
在亚马逊地区，火灾极少是自然发生的，通常是为了清理土地用于农业或畜牧而人为引发的。
In the Amazon, fires are rarely natural and are typically set to clear land for farming or ranching.