this is "nightline." >> tonight -- scorched earth. caught in an endless wall of smoke and flames. firefighters no match for flames this ferocious and this intense. >> the amazon rainforest on fire, creatingd's nhe of the planet struggling to breathe. on the front lines, the desperate fight to wrestle the inferno. plus -- ♪ so wake me up when it's all over ♪ waking up to the timeless beats by dj powerhouse avicii. the artist's third album released after his death. now music and interviews revealing the demons he battled. but first the "nightline" 5.

good evening. thank you for joining us. the amazon rainforest is living and breathing, with which in turn helps regulate the rts temperature. tonight its lush green landscape transformed into a hellscape by fire. now the frantic fight to save it from being swallowed into an apocalyptic abyss. abc's matt gutman is there.

>> reporter: firefighters no match for flames this ferocious lian-brazilian border fueled by wind, flames leaping across the dry brush. it's shocking how far we've seen the fire move. 200 yards in the last five minutes alone. fueled by this wind. we're going to try to move a little faster to get out of its way. keep going. geronimo, a rancher here, tells me a tanker dropped water on the fire nearby. it's no use. he says it's all going to be gone. there's nothing else to do. he's just going to wait for the fire to pass. as a cloud of smoke rears up behind his farm, we offer him a ride out. but he insists on staying, certain his cattle will come back. we escaperomo's farm aoad are enveloped in impenetrable fire and smoke. >> wow, that entire place where

we were just minutes ago seems to be gone. >> reporter: it's just one apocalyptic scene amidst a swarm of fires ravaging brazil and its amazon rainforest spilling out into bolivia, paraguay, and peru. it's the scale of these fires that's absolutely huge. an unprecedented burn of a massive magnitude. we could be losing in certain areas as much as three soccer fields of jungle every single minuteorr: the collection of tens of thousands of blazes engulfing an area 2/3 the size of the continental united states. fires burning from the equivalent of detroit tothe rai lush fe. the so-called lungs of the earth. much of it now choked in flames. >> we are talking about an estimated 10% of the world's global biodiversity. well over 40,000 species. new ones being discovered every

single day. that is all at risk. >> reporter: most of the fires are so remote it requires hacking through the nearly impenetrable terrain just to reach them. >> going through this underbrush gives you a sense of why these fires are so hard to because they're so very hard to get to. >> reporter: containing fires is a herculean effort, even for the best equipped countries. on the ground we see how ill prepared brazil is for the task. a squad of just 3efighters are tasked with covering an area twice the size of new jersey. the tools they have are pretty rudimentary, you can see. they have these -- they look like floor mats in cars. and they're using sticks to slap down the fire. sometimes the men just kicking at the fire. there are no fire trucks, no at'shey'reting in the bush. because there is no cell phone reception right here. >> and through that veil of flames this villager appears.

he says his name is jefferson. he tells us he was the one who first reported the fire, even started fighting the fires himself. >> he's showing us how he was putting out fires. >> reporter: he said the fire burned the shirt right off his back, the ground scorching his feet. >> you've got to feel this stick. it is burning hot right now. that he was holding. also he's got no shoes. he's burned off his -- his flip-flops are completely melted. but he stayed, as did those weary firefighters. the u.s. government and other countries pledging assistance. an american supertanker, the world's largest firefighting airplane, flew from colorado springs to bolivia to help contain the fires there. at first brazilian president jair bolsonaro accused without evidence brazilian ngos of starting the fires. bolsonaro's seeming lack of urgency around the fires igniting protests in rio de janeiro.

but bolsonaro reversed course over the weekend, authorizing the deployment of a force deplo c-130 tankers streaming over wa whether or not brazilian internal politics will win out over the well-being of the amazon, an area that cleans our air, purifies our water, gives us water in many instances, and on top of that holds many of the key and important solutions to tomorrow's problems. >> reporter: it is believed that many of the fires were started by farmers trying to clear land. environmentalists say bolsonaro's seeming support for the development of the amazon over environmental practices may have emboldened farmers to burn land. >> we've seen a dramatic increase in deforestation in the amazon recently, and it is driven by humans and this is happening in part due to demand for food and other resources from the forest and exacerbated

by the decline in the enforcement of laws. >> reporter: the area of smoke from these fires is so large it is visible from space. nasa releasing these ag dblhamm climate perspective. we're losing forests which are some of the best technology we have right now to slow climate change. trees suck carbon out of the atmosphere. at the same time as the forests burn we're releasing huge stores of carbon into the atmosphere. so it's definitely exacerbating the problem and making it that much harder to mitigate climate change. >> reporter: the amazon produces 20% of the earth's oxygen and helps regulate the earth's temperature. and brazil is only at start of its dry season, which typically lasts until november. >> we need to remember that most of the amazon is still intact.

there's still a lot left worth fighting for. if your house is on fire and let's say your kitchen catches on fire, you're not going to use because my kitchen's on ti fire. you're going to fight for every last bit of it. and that's exactly what we need to do. >> reporter: we wait agonizing minutes for flames and smoke to subside. then head back in to check on geronimo. this was lush jungle. tt ire goingeeetely re okay. geronimo. senor! he's right over there. he says this part of the land was spared. largely because he cle cows came home. just as he said they would. for "nightline" i'm matt gutman along the brazilian-bolivian border. >> our thanks to matt and our team on the ground. up next, the beloved dj gone too

soon. now haunting lyrics taking on greater meaning. how do you gauge the greatness of an suv? is it to carry cargo or to carry on a legacy? its show of strength or its sign of intelligence? in crossing harsh terrain or breaking new ground? this is the time to get an exceptional offer on the mercedes of your midsummer dreams at the mercedes-benz summer event, going on now. lease the gla 250 suv for just $329 a month with credit toward your first month's payment at the mercedes-benz summer event. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. we'd love some help with laundry. spray and scrub anything with a stain. wash the really dirty clothes separately. new tide pods with upgraded 4-in-1 technology unleash a foolproof clean in one step. aww, you did the laundry! it's got to be tide. it's how we bring real hope to our cancer patients-

like viola. when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, her team at ctca created a personalized care plan that treated her cancer and strengthened her spirit. so viola could focus on her future. their future. this is how we inspire hope. this is how we heal. cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. cancer treatment centers of america. breathe freely fast, with vicks sinex. my congestion's gone. i can breathe again! ahhhh! i can breathe again! ughh! vicks sinex. breathe on. to take care of any messy situations. and put irritation in its place. and if i can get comfortable keeping this tookus safe and protected... ...you can get comfortable doing the same with yours. preparationh. get comfortable with it. ...you can get comfortable doing the same with yours. did you know you can save money by using dish soap to clean grease on more than dishes?

try dawn ultra. wn is fn just dishes. with 3x more grease cleaning power per d on a variety of surfaces. try dawn ultra. alright, so this is how you are gonna say:wn. you'll get the best deal of the year on xfinity tv and internet! and you even get this.

mike, you're on balloons. sarah, you're gonna high five everybody. ben, you're gonna be wowing them with your dance moves. don't miss the xfinity best deal of the year. now that's simple, easy, awesome. get amazing tv and internet during our best deal of the year! with huge savings of $600 over two years. plus a speed upgrade to 400 megs, free for 2 years. and ask about even more savings with xfinity mobile. click, call, or visit a store today.

the world famous dj avicii was considered a musical genius, the top of his game when he died by suicide last year. now his final songs released in his posthumous record, revealing his struggles. here's abc's dan harris with another look at the message in the music. >> here with the song "s.o.s."

aloe blacc. >> reporter: aloe blacc takes the stage for a very personal performance of "s.o.s." on jimmy kim. the lyrics are haunting. ♪ can you hear me hp m p to re ♪ i can feel your love >> reporter: aloe may be providing the vocals but the driving force behind the song is the late edm genius avicii, born tim berglund. >> performing the songs that i did with tim is in some ways always a celebration and in some ways commemoration. ♪ so wake me up when it's all over ♪ ♪ when i'm wiser and i'm older the two are best known for their 2013 hit "wake me up." >> meeting tim was a beautiful accident. the music we were able to make and the impact that the music we made had on the world changed my life because it made my career blossom in ways that i'd never imagined. ♪

♪ da, da, da oh! >> reporter: more than a year after avicii died by suiciicidee music he made has been released in a posthumous album entitled "tim" which is allowing avicii's fans to revisit his life and legacy. ♪ shut down ♪ we sat down with some of tim's collaborators, who opened up about his final days. >> there's no telling what may have happened in those final hours. he'd come through a really tough time and was starting to experience beautiful moments again with friends and family and musicians that he was working with. >> there's no feeling of a finite end to it. >> reporter: sharing behind-the-scenes videos and candid photos, collaborating with some of the biggest namess

you're a sky full of stars ♪ to madonna. ♪ my rebel heart he won an american music award. >> avicii! >> reporter: for favorite electronic dance music artist. and was nominated for two grammys and countless other awards. but away from the spotlight tim was wrestling with substance abuse that led to health issues. he suffered from pancreatitis seen here in the documentary "avicii: true story" released less than a year before he died. >> based on how i've been feeling today and the pain i've been in today, they don't think i'm going to be fit for shows -- >> reporter: publicly he struggled to keep up with the intense demands of his lifestyle. privately his friends say his anxiety grew along with his fame. >> i think he had a kind of invincible mind state, like nothing can touch me, i'm capable of everything, i can

party tonight and still do this gig tomorrow and then travel halfway across the world. >> reporter: vincent pantera and salem al pakei co-wrote songs with tim over the years. >> we met him in the early days because he just had released "lemon." we were there from the beginning. he always had a really clear vision where he wanted to go with his music. he had this idea about we should make some country music with this other thing. and we wrote this song called "hey brother." ♪ hey brother ♪ there's an endless road to rediscover ♪ he took that further and he wrote "wake me up." >> this landscape of electronic music around this acoustic and a

guitar and vocal basically took the world by storm. >> they created the song along with mike eyesinger. ♪ feel my wei through the darkness ♪ in just a couple of hours. but it would go on to amhe song connect with such a wide audience the way that it did. >> reporter: tim traveled the world in luxury, performing in front of thousands of adoring fans. but he also did not shy away from sharing how his lifestyle and grueling schedule was taking a toll, even sharing this moment. >> i thank every fan that's ever bought a ticket or snuck in. bought a song or downloaded it. loved, commented or hated it. it's your thoughts and ideas about the music that helped me evolve, and i do owe everything i have to you. >> reporter: in 2016 he wrote a letter to his fans announcing he was retiring from touring at the age of 26. and i don't know if he was a

victim of being too smart, but maybe that's one of the curses of genius almost. if you are intelligent enough to solve some of the most complex questions, you'll have many more to solve. >> the last years was really -- i thought it was a really happy tim. >> he was in a really good place. >> but of course maybe he was struggling, but what we saw was something else. >> reporter: but on april 20th, 2018 tim was found dead in oman, where he had been vacationing. his family released this statement. "our beloved tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers. he could not go on any longer. he wanted to find peace." after months of silence tim's family announced the new album. >> tim's mother and i decided that tim's music should be released to his fans and to people who wants to listen to

it. >> reporter: with most of the music completed, his collaborators turned to notes and e-mails tim had left behind to finish the work. >> we talked so much about it. and we just got back to how he felt about this music. he wanted this demo which had t kind of sketch vocals which me and tim had figured out to a certain point. ♪ but it ain't nothing >> reporter: for janiak tim's lyrics have taken on greater meaning like in the song "ain't a thing." >> that's definitely one of the most haunting songs for me because of the chorus lyrics. which we didn't really discuss a lot of the times. when the record plays the final song and the parties will be long, long gone, all the pretenders and the hangerson will go find themselves another one. which at the time didn't seem quite as intense as it does now. >> reporter: those close to tim

hope that in help others who ar struggling. his family has started a foundation in his name to support groups involved with mental health and suicide prevention. >> there are so many people that are going through dark times, and you wouldn't know it because sometimes they can just wear a really good mask. and this moment is an opportunity for all of us to to reach out to our friends and our loved ones and say how are you doing and really checking in. >> it's okay to not be okay. it can seem hard to really be honest about youotio tim'sacyesn throug si >> theus all of the best things about him. >> he was a songwriter. he was a producer. he wasn't just avicii the dj. >> tim thought outside the box. he was a creator.

and what he wanted to do was move people. >> i think his legacy is going to be the great things he did at the end of it all. >> the album "tim" has reached 1.2 billion streams since its release in june. and next, the clash of light sabers and the rise and end of the skywalker saga. -smelling ho, but some air fresheners use heavy, overwhelming scents. introducing febreze one; a new range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home to deliver a light, natural-smelling freshness. febreze one neutralizes stale, stuffy odors and releases a subtle hint of fragrance like bamboo or lemongrass ginger. to eliminate odors with no heavy perfumes, try new febreze one. brand power. helping you buy better. depe-fx® underwear comfort for all day fun... features maximum absorbency, ultra soft fabric

and new beautiful designs for your best comfort and protection guaranteed. life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®. just between us, cleaning with a mop and bucket is such a hassle. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. stop cleaning. start swiffering but one blows them allmany moisturizers... out of the water. hydro boost with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back... neutrogena® and try our hydrating makeup. .. with new nor ic. layered with flavors

...you discover paint bleed you under your tape.......

not with frogtape! frogtape is the only painter's tape treated with patented paintblock technology. paintblock reacts with the water in latex paint to form a micro-barrier against paint bleed, giving you the sharpest lines possible. get professional results with frogtape... no messy lines, no paint bleed. for sharp lines every time, frog it!

galaxy far, far away -- across four decades and countless heroes and villains one chapter in the "star wars" universe is ending with the rise of skywalker. a sneak peek at the final installment to the skywalker saga, coming out this christmas. the clash of good and evil reaching its climax. and the ominous look for one character carrying the double-sided lightsaber. will this jedi apprentice turn to the dark side? the force continues. that's "nightline." you can always catch our full episodes on hulu. thanks for the company, america. good night.

that's why xfinity mobile let's you design your own data. now you can share it between lines.

mix with unlimited, and switch it up at anytime so you only pay for what you need. it's a different kind of wireless network designed to save you money. save up to $400 a year on your wireless bill. plus get $250 back when you buy a new samsung note. click, call or visit a store today. has been excellent. they really appreciate the military family and it really shows. with all that usaa offers why go with anybody else? we u it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa"