Northern Portugal Wildfires

Portugal is burning again.

"Wildfires sweep through dry Portugal forests"

"Portugal wildfires: Hundreds of firefighters tackle forest fires"

Just heard Fire Engines

What is happening to Portugal, the fires in Northern Portugal and Maderia?

According to the Sun it looks like Spain will be in trouble too!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1593919/ch...southern-europe

Very Sad for places like this.

After fires of that scale ,it must take wild life ,and plants years to recover ,if they ever do.

Burning old growth is a traditional way of promoting new growth. It happens really quickly.

Yes, but it is the knock on effect on the animals I worry about

See they have wildfires in california ,it seems to be happening more often now ,is it to do with global warming.?

In places that are normally cooler it might be. I think California has always had them.
Some of the fires in recent years have been started by arsonists, particularly in Portugal, even our forests will burn if we deliberately set fire to them.

There is a massive forest fire raging again in Portugal, around Pedrógão Grande, north-east of Lisbon.
Villages are being destroyed in the path of the fire.

https://streaming-ondemand.rtp.pt/nas2.s...229030.mp4.m3u8

64 people have died so far, 47 of them in or by their cars on a main road through the forest.
157 injured.
1000 firefighters, one has died.

http://www.publico.pt

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40336622

http://www.euronews.com/2017/06/19/polit...r-portugal-fire

https://www.rtp.pt

Lets hope they sort it soon.

Still going, 204 injured and 64 dead.

This is a clip from Euronews.

Nightmare stories are emerging among people who managed to escape.

One of those who survived the so-called “road of death” was Mario Pinhal.
But he is mourning the loss of his wife, 40, and two daughters, aged 12 and 15. They died on the N236 in the village of Varzeas.
Mario told reporters how he fled the fires in one vehicle with his parents and Godmother, who also survived. His wife and daughters were in another car.
Through tears, Mario said leaving home was a great mistake.
“I helped my Godmother to get out of the car. I never let her go because otherwise she would have fallen.
“Maybe at that moment, I could have gone to look for my wife and daughters in some of the cars there.
“The only thing I regret was to have left home. Regardless of the efforts and goodwill of people, all I want is to have my wife and daughters back.”
Mario’s mother said: “Four of us survived on that road. We should have died. Nobody would miss us. But the girls died. How can I explain this?”

http://www.euronews.com/2017/06/21/opera...nters-fifth-day

64 dead, each one a sad story.

The funeral of the fireman Gonçalo Correia was held today.

It's quite possible that he was a voluntary firefighter, they make up a large part of Portugal's fire service.

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/centena...e-pera_v1009799

I sincerely hope this awful tragedy comes to an end soon. I cannot imagine how frightening it must be.

As Voltman says most of the firefighters could well be volunteers like they are in the Algarve, so his logic that they could also be so in the North is very feasible. What commitment!

I recall many years ago in the apartment I used to stay in when I visited the Algarve, they added a euro to everyone's bill which went to the Firefighters - which I never objected to paying.

May those who have lost their lives rest in peace and those in hospital recover as quickly as possible!