The order came from the president on Friday, reports several international media. Jair Bolsonaro has now tasked the military with deploying soldiers in the fire-ravaged areas of the Amazon rainforest.

Exactly how large the area currently stands in flames in the Amazon is uncertain, but over the past week alone, over 9,500 fires have been recorded via satellite monitoring.

Angry to Macron

The handling of the severe fires is also the subject of discussion at the highest political level. French President Emmanuel Macron said this week that it is all an international crisis that should be put on the agenda of the G7 superpower club that holds summit in French Biarritz this weekend.

Macron's statement did not fall well with the Brazilian leader:

"Recalls a colonial mentality that does not belong in the 21st century," Bolsonaro said in a speech broadcast live on Facebook.

France and Ireland have pushed Brazil on this issue and demand that President Jari Bolsonaro act much more forcefully. The two countries have threatened that they might not ratify the huge free trade agreement that the EU and the countries of South America have agreed, the BBC reports.

The order is valid for one month

But late on Friday night, Swedish time, the message came that Bolsonaro ordered the country's military to help with the extinguishing work.

The BBC reports that the president's decree is vaguely worded. It will be the opportunity of the regional governors concerned to ask the Brazilian military for assistance in "monitoring and fighting fires," the BBC writes.

It all applies from Saturday, August 24, and extends one month ahead.

Also in Brazil's western neighboring Bolivia, forest fires are raging, which has swept over an area of ​​650,000 hectares. Aircraft, among other things, is used to release large amounts of water over the areas.

The US president is also reaching out for a helping hand. "We're ready to help," Donald Trump tweeted after a phone call with Bolsonaro.