More fierce forest fires have broken out in north-eastern Portugal. Several fires blazed in the mountainous region on the way to the border with Spain. Videmonte was particularly affected. Thousands of hectares of forest have already fallen victim to the flames. Over 1,500 firefighters spent the sixth straight day fighting the blazes. A total of around 10,500 hectares of forest are said to have been destroyed in the central region of Covilha, including parts of the Serra da Estrela National Park. Once again there is an extreme heat wave in large parts of the country, as well as in Spain and France. The IPMA weather agency announced on Thursday that “red alert” had been declared in various regions of Portugal due to the extreme risk of fire. According to a February 2022 United Nations report, the number of extreme wildfires will increase by 30% over the next 28 years as human-caused climate change triggers increasingly severe droughts.
Portugal: Fires continue to flare up, destroying 10,500 hectares of forest
Watch the video: Wildfires continue to flare up, destroying parts of Serra da Estrela National Park.