Hundreds of firemen battled a huge in southern Portugal on Tuesday, scorching thousands of hectares of land and forcing the evacuation of almost 1,400 residents.
The wildfire, which is being fought by over 850 firefighters and six water-bombing planes, began on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo area, but has already extended south to the Algarve, one of Portugal’s most popular tourist destinations.
Firefighter efforts have been hampered by high heat and strong winds, which have destroyed around 6,700 hectares of land. Weather conditions, according to Jose Ribeiro, commander of the emergency and civil protection department, are predicted to continue difficult.
On Monday, shortly before sunset, the shy near Odemira darkened as a massive smoke cloud filled the air.
Helder Guerreiro, the mayor of Odemira, described the situation as critical, difficult, and complex while Ribeiro said it would take a lot of work to put the flame out.
“It is a worrying situation”, Ribeiro said during a morning briefing, adding that there were two active fronts, one of which was moving to Monchique, a beautiful green hilly area in the Algarve’s countryside.
Monchique, which burned down in 2018, is famous to both locals and tourists because of its thermal springs and hotels.
As a precaution, 19 minor communities, including one in Monchique, four tourist lodgings, and a camping site have been evacuated.
Authorities said that several roads had been closed.
During the high summer tourist season, southern European countries such as Portugal have seen record-breaking temperatures, forcing officials to issue health warnings.
Heat waves, according to scientists, are growing more common, severe, and dispersed across seasons as a result of climate change.
Three regions in northern Portugal were placed under red alert on Tuesday, as temperatures in the northern city of Castelo Branco were forecast to reach 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit). The temperature in Alentejo should reach 40 degrees Celsius in Evora and 38 degrees Celsius in Beja.
Authorities in Portugal have identified more than 120 municipalities, including those in Lisbon, Alentejo, and the Algarve, to be in high danger of wildfires.
“With the weather conditions, we are going to have in the coming days, any small occurrence (fire) could become a big one”, Civil Protection Secretary of State Patricia Gaspar said at a news conference.
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