At least two die as wildfires hit Portugal, Europe sends help
CTV
At least two people died as wildfires raged in central and northern Portugal on Monday, forcing authorities to evacuate villages, close motorways and ask the European Union to send more water-bombing aircraft.
At least two people died as wildfires raged in central and northern Portugal on Monday, forcing authorities to evacuate villages, close motorways and ask the European Union to send more water-bombing aircraft.
The situation was most dangerous in the northwestern Aveiro district where one forest blaze reached the outskirts of the town of Albergaria-a-Velha and burned several houses, the mayor said.
More than 1,100 firefighters were battling that fire and three others in the surrounding area. Police shut a stretch of the main highway between Lisbon and Porto as thick smoke blanketed the area.
Police said officers had found the remains of a man who had apparently been working for a forestry company nearby.
In the same area, another person died of a heart attack as the fire approached, and two people were in hospital with serious injuries, according to the civil protection service.
Authorities said they had deployed 12 water-bombing aircraft in that district and were fighting at least 20 fires across the country.
The government requested eight more aircraft from the European Commission under the EU civil protection mechanism known as RescEU.
