Massive Wildfires Are Raging Out Of Control In Portugal, Killing At Least Nine People Including Firefighters
The number of active fires increased to more than 1,000, destroying dozens of houses and placing hundreds of thousands of people in danger.
Massive wildfires have ravaged northern and central Portugal, killing at least nine people, including three firefighters, and injuring hundreds.
The fires started around Sep. 15, mostly affecting the Aveiro district, which is south of Porto city.
By Sep. 16, at least 128 fires had burned about 1,350 square kilometers of land.
And in the last few days, the number of active fires increased to more than 1,000, destroying dozens of houses and placing hundreds of thousands of people in danger.
The wildfires have burned at least 60 structures, including homes, in areas like Albergaria-a-Velha and Cabeceiras de Basto.
State TV showed videos of local residents using buckets and hoses to try to control the flames.
Footage also showed thick orange smoke blanketing the sky, making visibility very poor.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has declared a "state of calamity" for the worst-affected areas and called for more resources to be sent in.
He also urged the police to step up efforts to catch those responsible for starting the fires.
Police are investigating cases of suspected arson and have already arrested several people believed to have caused the fires.
More than 5,000 firefighters and 1,500 fire engines are currently battling these active wildfires.
Several other European countries, including France, Greece, Italy, and Spain, have sent water-bombing aircraft to help fight the fires.
Spain has also sent 240 soldiers and emergency vehicles to support firefighting efforts.
The wildfires have also caused severe air pollution due to smoke.
In fact, the EU's Environmental Monitoring and Forecasting Service reported record levels of carbon emissions from these fires, which are expected to affect air quality in Portugal and neighboring countries like Spain and France.
Meanwhile, in recent days, hundreds of people in 14 areas across Portugal have protested against the "social, climatic, and political catastrophe" caused by the fires, chanting, "The country is burning. We must wake up."
Protesters blamed the paper industry, the government, and the fossil fuel industry for deforestation and worsening climate change.
“The deaths cannot be considered merely the result of negligence. They are the direct result of a coordinated offensive between the state, the pulp industry and the fossil industry to turn the interior of our country into an incineration chamber,” Alice Gato, a 22-year-old student and protester told Climaximo.
Extremely dry weather, high temperatures exceeding30 Degrees Celsius, and strong winds have exacerbated the Portugal fires.
Experts blame climate change for such conditions as rising global temperatures increase the frequency and intensity of such wildfires.
They also blame the decline of traditional farming and forestry practices. In the past, people would clear dry bushes in rural areas, but now the bushes create dry vegetation that can easily catch fire.
Portugal had a similarly deadly wildfire in 2017, where more than 120 people lost their lives, and hundreds were injured.
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