Portugal battles ferocious wildfires as toll rises to seven
The Peninsula
Lisbon: Thousands of firefighters on Tuesday battled wildfires in Portugal that have killed seven people and burnt more land in a matter of days than...
Lisbon: Thousands of firefighters on Tuesday battled wildfires in Portugal that have killed seven people and burnt more land in a matter of days than the rest of the summer combined.
Fanned by bellowing winds in the stifling heat, the three biggest fires concentrated in the northern Aveiro region scorched some 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) by Monday evening, according to a civil protection report.
Three firefighters died on Tuesday when their vehicle was trapped by the flames civil protection authorities said, bringing the fire-related toll up to seven.
"We regret the death of three firefighters," the national commander of civil protection, Andre Fernandes, told reporters, adding that the two women and a man were killed while fighting flames near Nelas in the northern Viseu region.
Across the Iberian nation, more than 3,700 firefighters, over 1,000 vehicles and around 20 aircraft on Tuesday were battling the flames, with an alert warning in force since Saturday afternoon extended until Thursday evening.