Deadly Portuguese Wildfires Push Emergency Services to Their Limits

A series of catastrophic wildfires in Portugal has stretched emergency services to their maximum capacity. Reinforcements from Spain, Morocco, and other European countries have arrived as cooler weather gives a hint of relief. The blazes have claimed at least seven lives and devastated wide areas of forest and property.

A series of catastrophic wildfires in Portugal has stretched emergency services to their breaking point. Reinforcements from Spain and Morocco arrived on Wednesday, with cooler weather providing a glimmer of hope for those battling the blazes. At least seven people have lost their lives, and the fires have destroyed numerous houses and consumed tens of thousands of hectares of forest and scrubland.

Footage from Reuters highlighted residents in the northwestern Aveiro district, one of the hardest-hit areas, distributing food and water to exhausted fire engine crews and wishing them "strength in the combat." In Sao Pedro do Sul, located in the adjacent Viseu district, chicken farmer Paulo Fernandes struggled with his neighbor to contain the flames with just a hosepipe, lamenting the scarcity of firefighters and aerial support.

A 270-strong Spanish military emergencies team equipped with bulldozers was deployed in the Viseu district, along with two heavy water-bombing aircraft from Morocco, with more on the way. Spain, Italy, and France also dispatched aircraft after Portugal requested help under the EU civil protection mechanism. Civil protection chief Duarte Costa told CNN Portugal that the reinforcements would allow some rotation of exhausted Portuguese firefighters and necessary aircraft maintenance.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information Service showed that more than 90,000 hectares had been consumed by blazes since Saturday, marking the largest burned area since 2017. While cooler temperatures are anticipated, the overall meteorological conditions remain unfavorable for firefighting. At least some of the fires are suspected to have been started intentionally, prompting Prime Minister Luis Montenegro to vow aggressive action against arsonists. Police have arrested 12 suspects since Saturday, believed to be behind some of the fires in several districts.

(With inputs from agencies.)