Wildfires in southern Brazil kill 2 people and leave dozens of cities on high alert

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Wildfires in Brazil’s southern state of Sao Paulo have killed at least two people and 42 cities have been put on high alert. The fires have raged in the region outside the city of Sao Paulo, one of Latin America’s most populous cities with more than 11 million residents. (AP video by Marcos Limonti)

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Smoke from wildfires fills the air in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

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Burnt trees lie next to condominiums as wildfires rage in Sao Paulo state in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

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Smoke from wildfires fills the air near above the Mario Donega highway in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

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A bird stands on burnt reeds during nearby wildfires in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

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Smoke from wildfires fills the air above the Anhanguera Highway in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

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Smoke stemming from nearby wildfires and dry weather covers the Aguas Claras neighborhood of Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

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Smoke stemming from nearby wildfires and dry weather covers Park Way in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

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Smoke stemming from nearby wildfires and dry weather covers the Guara neighborhood of Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

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Smoke from wildfires fills the air above the Candido Portinari highway in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

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Smoke from wildfires fills the air at Dr. Leite Lopes State Airport in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marcos Limonti)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Wildfires in Brazil’s southern Sao Paulo state have killed at least two people, officials said Saturday. At least 36 cities have been put on high alert.

Local and federal authorities were stepping up efforts to control the flames, Sao Paulo state Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas said.

The fires have raged in the region outside the city of Sao Paulo, one of Latin America’s most populous cities with more than 11 million residents.

At least 7,300 government workers and volunteers had been deployed across the state to “contain the advance and put out these fires,” de Freitas told journalists. De Freitas warned that the flames, spurred on by a heat wave and a drought, may be fanned by strong winds.

While the city largely hasn’t been affected by the fires, videos on social media show the skies of rural areas filled with smoke and burning trees along the highway.

The government said that in the city of Urupes, two employees working at an industrial plant died on Friday while trying to fight back a fire, but provided few other details.

The region has been plagued with the worst wildfires in decades, according to local news organization Folha de S.Paulo, which counted 4,973 fires in the region just this year.