Brazilian law enforcement officials targeted illegal wildcat miners in an apparent resurgence of environmental policing amid raging Amazonian rainforest fires.

Authorities with Brazil’s Institute for the Environmental and Renewable Natural Resources, known as Ibama, raided the miners’ site in the Brazilian state of Para on Friday, Reuters reported.

“They [the miners] hid in the forest and shot at the team,” said Hugo Loss, Ibama national coordinator of enforcement operations.

The miners reportedly escaped into the woods. No one was injured.

The Ibama activity comes after the agency rolled back its operations in Para throughout the past year and amid efforts by right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro to weaken Ibama.

Bolsonaro reversed course on Ibama last week by authorizing military support of Amazon firefighting efforts. The move followed days of international criticism that the country was not doing enough to protect its rainforest, which is engulfed in the largest fire since 2010.

Loss said the renewed military support allowed for the Para wildcat raids.

“Only now with the recognition of alarming deforestation and fire data and with the [justice minister’s] decree, did we have conditions allowing us to operate in this area,” Loss said.

With Post wires