Three firefighters die battling wildfires in Portugal

At least three firefighters have been pronounced dead while combating wildfires raging across central and northern Portugal.

It was gathered that the deceased firefighters, from Vila Nova de Oliveirinha fire brigade, died while battling a blaze in Nelas, 300 km northeast of Lisbon.

The civil protection authority commander, Andre Fernandes, who confirmed the casualties on Tuesday, described the situation as “calmer but still worrying and complex,” with multiple villages affected and teams dispersed across the area.

Footage shows local residents fighting advancing flames near Nelas using buckets of water. Consequently, authorities have closed key motorways, including the Lisbon-Porto highway, and suspended train connections on two northern railroad lines.

Portugal is battling over 50 active wildfires, and has deployed an estimated 5,300 firefighters while seeking the European union (EU) assistance.

Notably, the recent deaths bring the wildfire death toll to seven since Saturday.

In Aveiro alone, fires have burned over 10,000 hectares of forest and scrubland in two days, matching the total acreage consumed by fires nationwide through August.

Portugal and Spain, despite experiencing fewer fires than usual due to a rainy start to the year, remains vulnerable to hot and dry conditions intensified by global warming.

Currently, temperatures have exceeded 30°C over the weekend, fanned by strong winds.

The IPMA meteorology agency forecasts shows temperatures above 30°C for the next two days, amid extremely low humidity.

The danger of fires will remain ‘high, very high or maximum’ in the northern and central regions, it said

The government on Monday requested help from the European Commission under the EU civil protection mechanism, leading Spain, Italy and Greece to send two water-bombing aircraft each.