Almost 2,700 firefighters fight 17 vegetation fires in Portugal, the most serious being in the center and north of the country. Authorities have declared alert status in almost the whole country.
17 major fires broke out throughout the country photo capture video
Seventeen major fires were manifested on Tuesday, the most serious being in the center and north of the country, transmits the AFP agency, quoted by France24.
About 750 firefighters were trying to extinguish a fire that broke out in an eucalyptus forest in the municipality of Arouca, in the center of Portugal.
“This is currently the fire on which we focus all our efforts and reinforcements”said Mario Silvestre, the head of the National Authority for Civil Protection, in a press conference.
Hundreds of other firefighters were fighting with the flames near the city of Pentamacor, in the center, and on a mountain in Ponte da Barca, near the northern border with Spain. Four Spanish fire extinguishing planes joined the intervention on Monday.
“We are going through a difficult time”said Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, after visiting the headquarters of the National Emergency Service.
In total, 26 fire extinguishing aircraft were in the air, according to civil protection authorities.
About 20 people, of which 14 firefighters received medical care for light wounds.
The fire from Ponte da Barca, broke out on Saturday, forced the evacuation of locals in a church in the area and consumed almost 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land, according to preliminary estimates.
Authorities warn that the situation could worsen in the coming days due to heat.
“The only factor that we will be able to control in the coming days … is human behavior”he warned Silvestre.
Like many other countries, Portugal is facing each summer with vegetation fires. Experts say that climate change increases the frequency and intensity of droughts and fires globally.
