The fires have cost at least seven people their lives, and tens of thousands of hectares of forest have been scorched.
Drought and strong winds have caused the flames to spread quickly. But it is suspected that several of the fires were started on purpose, and during the week 14 people were arrested.
Criminologist Andre Inacio believes that one of the motives behind this type of arson may be a desire to buy burnt-down land at a reduced price. In other cases, mental health problems may be behind it.
On Thursday, firefighters managed to get control of some of the worst fires in the northern part of the country. But forest fires are still going on in other areas of Portugal.
According to the EU’s climate monitoring service, the fires have led to the highest emissions of greenhouse gases in Portugal in September since this type of measurement began 22 years ago.
Experts have linked the fires both to climate change and rising temperatures, and to the discontinuation of agriculture in many Portuguese villages.
Janez Lenarcic, the EU Commissioner responsible for crisis management, stated this week that both the forest fires in Portugal and the flooding in Central Europe are the result of “climate collapse”.
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2024-09-21 20:45:41
