Fact check: Amazon fires are real, but don't be fooled by these fake images

Brasilia, Aug 23: Amazon, which serves as the lungs of the planet by taking in carbon dioxide is on fire. In fact, a number of high-profile celebrities have spoken out about the Amazon crisis in attempts to raise awareness, and call their fans to action.

However, a number of images are doing rounds claiming to show the fires are fakes.

Leonardo DiCaprio, a historically outspoken climate activist, shared multiple photos of the burning Amazon on his Instagram, including one with a quoted caption that read, "Terrifying to think that the Amazon is the largest rainforest on the planet, creating 20% of the earth's oxygen, basically the lungs of the world, has been on fire and burning for the last 16 days running, with literally NO media coverage whatsoever! Why?"

Macron tweeted earlier Thursday that fires burning in the Amazon amount to an international crisis and should be discussed as a top priority when the G-7 countries meet this weekend in France.

Official figures show nearly 73,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year -- the highest number for any year since 2013. Most were in the Amazon.