Posted in: 01/08/2022 – 17:18
Violent fires that broke out on Sunday in southern France destroyed 620 acres of pine trees, injuring four firefighters, and strong winds and dry weather contributed to their spread, especially in the Gare region, according to a source in the fire services. In Portugal, the authorities mobilized more than a thousand firefighters to put out a fire that broke out on Sunday in the vicinity of the Mafra area, north of the capital, Lisbon, due to the sharp rise in temperatures and drought.
The French authorities said that forest fire A massive eruption in the south of the country on Sunday destroyed 620 acres of pine trees and injured four firefighters while participating in the fight once morest the blaze.
William Borrelli, a spokesman for the fire service, told France Info radio that the fire that broke out in Obe, in the Ghar region, was “extremely violent” due to the strong winds and dry weather.
Civil protection agencies said that regarding 300 firefighters are participating in extinguishing the fire, which has not been controlled so far.
Part of central and northern Portugal was on alert over the weekend in the face of a “sharp rise in temperatures” that reached more than 40 degrees Celsius, according to the Portuguese Meteorological Institute.
620 acres of pine trees lost, 4 firefighters injured
Interior Minister Jose Luis Carneiro indicated on Sunday evening that “a red alert will be issued on Tuesday” due to the high fire risk “in the provinces of Villa Real, Bragança, Guarda and Viseu (north).”
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a Twitter post that four firefighters were injured, two of whom were receiving treatment for burn injuries.
In a press statement, the mayor of Ube said that the authorities had evacuated a number of families.
While the third heat wave began in France this year, several regions declared a state of high alert in anticipation of the outbreak of forest fires.
New fires near the Portuguese capital Lisbon and the center of the country
in Portugal The Civil Defense reported that a large fire broke out on Sunday in the vicinity of the Mafra area, north of Lisbon, following a sharp rise in temperatures during the weekend, especially in the center and north of the country, which called for a mobilization of more than a thousand firefighters.
In the evening, regarding 400 personnel, with air support, worked to put out the fire, which broke out regarding forty kilometers north of Lisbon.
Residents tried to slow the progress of the fire, while the fire was spreading in nearby forests, according to pictures broadcast by local channels.
A home for the elderly, housing 30 people, was evacuated, as a precaution, according to Paolo Santo, a civil defense official.
In Orem (center), a river shore was evacuated in a precautionary manner, according to “Lusa” news agency, quoting an official in charge of relief operations.
Portugal is still reeling from the shock of the 2017 wildfires, which killed more than 100 people. Since early July, the country has witnessed a series of fires fueled by rising temperatures.
FRANCE 24/AFP/Archyde.com