It is reported by Reuters.

«The firefighters are unable to control the flames. We can't do anything, — farmer Silvio Dantas, 56, told Reuters, on his field as a column of gray-white smoke rose on the horizon. — The fire has burned plants, destroyed houses and killed cattle. This is very tough».

The São Paulo government said 36 cities were on "high alert" due to fires that have spread at the peak of the dry season when fields are parched and temperatures high.

«We are chartering planes to spray water in addition to fire department aircraft», — said São Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who set up an emergency task force to deal with the situation.

On Friday, in Urupes, near Ribeirão Preto, two firefighters died while trying to extinguish flames in a sugar mill in an area where 200 hectares of sugar cane plantation were destroyed.

Raizen, the world's largest sugarcane processor, said operations at one of its plants in Sertaozinho had been halted since Thursday due to fires in the sugarcane fields.