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Three firefighters died on September 17 while trying to contain one of dozens of wildfires raging across central and northern Portugal, authorities said.
There are currently more than 50 wildfires burning in Portugal. Some 5,300 firefighters are battling the blazes with the help of firefighting aircraft from Spain, Italy and Greece. Local authorities have not only closed several highways, including the section between Lisbon and Porto, but have also suspended train services on two railway lines in northern Portugal.
Earlier, ANEPC Deputy Commander Mario Silvestre said the fire situation had generally eased but remained complex and worrying. Many villages and residential areas were affected, dozens of houses were burned down. Fire crews had to spread their forces to all fire zones.
Portugal and neighboring Spain have seen fewer wildfires than usual after regular rains in the first months of the year. However, both European countries remain vulnerable to increasingly hot and dry conditions due to climate change.
Temperatures in Portugal topped 30 degrees Celsius over the weekend as fires broke out and spread rapidly due to wind. Jorge Ponte of the IPMA meteorological agency said that September 16 was "one of the worst days ever" as high temperatures combined with winds of up to 70 km/h and very low humidity created a number of forest fires and other risks. He predicted that the situation could improve by the afternoon of September 18. The possibility of showers the following day could also help to reduce the fires, but authorities still need to be on guard against any risks.
On September 16, the Portuguese government requested assistance from the European Commission (EC) under the EU civil protection mechanism. Spain, Italy and Greece have therefore sent firefighting aircraft to assist.
