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

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.