Wildfires Spread Over Spain & Portugal
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At least 31 people have died in a swathe of wildfires in Portugal, the civil protection service has said. A spokeswoman has said that firefighters are still tackling 145 separate fires, dozens of which are still considered serious.
Across the border in Spain’s Galicia region, at least three people have died, with more than 50 being injured on the Portuguese side of the border. Local media has reported on the victims, saying several people are still missing in Portugal, including a one-month-old baby. In Spain, two victims were found in a burned-out car by the side of the road.
Firefighters in the thousands are still battling fires which ignited over the weekend after a hot and dry summer. Conditions were made severely more dangerous after winds from Hurricane Ophelia spread and helped fan the flames. Rain, however, is forecasted for affected regions on Monday, which could help the efforts.
More than 6,000 firefighters in 1,800 vehicles were deployed early on Monday morning.
These are not the first fires that Portugal has seen in 2017. In June, a blaze saw 64 people lose their lives and injured more than 130. Firefighters who put the fire out said that it may have been started by a ‘criminal hand’. Questions were raised after the fact about the readiness and speed of response to tackle the fire.
If you’re a reader in Portugal or Spain, do yourself a favour and stay safe. Let the appropriate authorities handle it and do not put your life at risk.