The sky never goes dark while the Amazon burns
On Wednesday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro enraged environmentalists by making unfounded claims that non-governmental organizations were starting the fires out of anger after he cut their funding.
Global outrage has torn through social media, with #PrayforAmazonas the world's top trending topic on Twitter on Wednesday.
Reuters observed plumes of smoke billowing from the forest, reaching hundreds of feet (dozens of meters) into the air, during a weeklong trip to southern Amazonas and northern Rondonia states.
"All you can see is smoke," said Thiago Parintintin, who lives in an indigenous reserve just off the Trans-Amazonian highway, pointing to the horizon.
A yellow truck bearing the logo of Brazil's forest fire fighters had just rushed past.
