At least seven people have died and thousands of firefighters have been mobilised as wildfires burnt amid high temperatures in central and northern Portugal on Tuesday, September 17.
Three firefighters were among the seven fatalities to be blamed by the raging fires, according to the latest reporting by Portuguese public broadcaster RTP.
At least 27 fires burned overnight into Tuesday, according to the Portuguese Civil Protection agency, which said that at least 10,000 hectares of land have been burned in the Porto metropolitan area and the northwestern Aveiro district.
Portuguese authorities closed major highways, including the main route between Lisbon and Porto, in response to the flames with train services also interrupted.
The European Union sent eight firefighting aircraft to assist Portugal, with France, Greece, Italy, and Spain contributing to the effort.
“The EU stands with Portugal as it battles major wildfires. We are urgently mobilising eight firefighting planes via our Civil Protection Mechanism to help local first responders. I thank France, Greece, Italy, and Spain for their rapid reaction. This is EU solidarity at its best,” President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
This footage shows the situation on Monday, September 16, in the Fontão, Angeja area of Albergaria-a-Velha.
