Portugal Fights Major Wildfires Amid Hot Weather Across Country

Thousands of emergency responders, supported by a fleet of water-dropping aircraft, were actively engaged on Tuesday in suppressing three major wildfire outbreaks sweeping through parts of central and northern Portugal. Officials raised the fire threat level across much of the country following prolonged periods of extreme heat.

One of the most severe fires broke out near Arouca, approximately 300 kilometers north of the capital, Lisbon. As the flames spread through the area, civil protection authorities evacuated numerous residents and temporarily shut down the scenic Passadicos do Paiva boardwalk, a well-known destination for hikers and sightseers.

“It’s desperate to see this … we need help, we need air support,” said Rafael Soares, a resident of the village of Canelas, recalling a devastating wildfire last September which burned 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of forest near Arouca.
He blamed the fires on droughts linked to climate change that have left the area’s forests bone-dry.

Meanwhile, in the far north near the Spanish border, fires have been tearing through Peneda-Geres National Park since Saturday. The blaze produced heavy smoke that blanketed nearby towns and prompted authorities to issue repeated stay-at-home warnings to residents.

To assist with the effort, Spain dispatched several firefighting planes to help contain the flames in the border region.

Over in Spain, three separate wildfires were burning on Tuesday morning in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon. The most dangerous one was located outside the city of Avila, roughly 100 kilometers west of Madrid. Due to hazardous air quality, residents in the town of Mombeltran were instructed to remain indoors.

Although hot, dry summers are typical throughout the Mediterranean basin, the increasing frequency and severity of heatwaves have led to more frequent and intense wildfires in recent years attributed by many to rapidly rising global temperatures.

Turkey has been contending with numerous blazes over the past few weeks, worsened by soaring heat. Last week, ten firefighters tragically lost their lives battling a fire in the central region of Eskisehir.

Over the weekend, wildfires in Greece triggered evacuations across multiple villages, with at least five individuals sustaining injuries in separate incidents.