Amazon rainforest witnessed the most fires in 14 years in the month of June, the Brazil government data said on Thursday. This comes amid concerns that extreme drought, in some parts of the region, could fuel worse fires in the Amazon rainforest in the coming months.

There were 2,308 hot spots, a rise of 2.7% from last year, in the Amazon rainforest in June, National space research agency Inpe recorded. In June last year, the fires in the Amazon rainforest had reached a 13-year high.

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Environmentalists fear that the increase in fires is a sign of worst things to come even though the numbers only amount to a fraction of the peak seen in the dry season in August and September, Reuters reports. According to scientists, a worse fire season could come due to dry weather along the Amazon’s “arc of deforestation” and in the Pantanal wetlands.

“With a high number of fires already at the start of the Amazon Summer, when there is naturally a decline in rains in the Amazon, this number will likely rise,” Greenpeace Brasil said in a statement, Reuters quoted.

According to Brazil’s Mines and Energy Ministry, hydroelectric plants in the nation have reported, amid drought, the lowest water inflows in 91 years.

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While fires in the Amazon rainforest are mostly made man-made, because of illegal deforestation, cattle grazing, and as part of traditional agriculture, dry weathers increase the chances of fires running out of control, Reuters said.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro banned most outdoor fires earlier this week in the nation for 120 days as a precaution. He also deployed the military to protect against fires and deforestation.