Forest firefighters persist in combating over 40 wildfires across Portugal.
In Portugal, firefighters are still battling over 40 wildfires on a Wednesday, as reported by authorities. There are currently 42 active fire sites situated in the central and northern parts of this renowned tourist destination. A force of approximately 3,900 firefighters and over 1,000 vehicles have been deployed to handle this situation.
The city of Gondomar in the Porto region was issued an evacuation order by authorities during the night. Firefighters described the conditions in Arouca, the hardest-hit district of Aveiro, as "unmanageable."
Portuguese officials declared on Tuesday night that four significant fires in Aveiro had expanded to about 100 kilometers in length collectively. Since Monday, around 20,000 hectares of land have been charred in this region, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis). Additional fires have spread to over 1,000 hectares across the rest of the country this week.
Seven fatalities and around 50 injuries have been reported so far. On Tuesday, three firefighters lost their lives near Tabua in the Coimbra region.
Compared to last year, this summer in Portugal has seen fewer wildfires – since the end of August, just 10,300 hectares have been burnt, which is a third of the acreage from the previous year and only a seventh of the typical average over the past decade.
Scorching wildfires in central Portugal in 2017 tragically led to the deaths of 114 individuals, many of whom perished while attempting to escape the blazes. In response, the Portuguese government has substantially increased its investment in wildfire prevention (tenfold) and firefighting budgets (doubled) since then. Experts link the increase and amplification of wildfires to human-induced climate change.
The European Union has expressed its solidarity with Portugal in the face of the ongoing wildfires, providing aid and resources to support the firefighting efforts. The European Union's Forest Fire Information System (Effis) has been actively monitoring and providing data on the wildfires in Portugal.
