Fires in the Brazilian Amazon retreat in September

A Brazilian Firefighters aircraft flies during a search of forest fires in an area of the Amazon rainforest in the Rondonia State, Brazil September 28, 2021. Picture taken September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

PORTO VELHO, Brasil (Reuters) - Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest declined by nearly half in September compared a year ago, government data showed on Thursday, with rains and law enforcement initiatives helping to temper the destruction.

A Reuters witness in the Amazon state of Rondonia saw only two fires in a 40-minute flyover. Visibility was good, in sharp contrast with the thick smoke that blanketed the area during the peak burning season in 2019 and 2020.