Fires in Portugal
28 July 2010
More than 1,200 firefighters battle raging forest fires in Portugal
Latest MODIS scene:
26 July 2010, Source: MODIS
More than 1,200 firefighters battle raging forest fires in Portugal
More than 1,200 firefighters on Tuesday battled dozens of major forest fires in northern and central Portugal, after extinguishing hundreds of smaller outbreaks, authorities said.
Around 30 major forest and brush fires were raging on Tuesday afternoon, almost double the number earlier in the day.
The biggest fire is near the central city of Sabugal, where over 200 firefighters were on the scene, the National Civil Protection Authority said.
On Monday, the agency was called out to tackle a total of 416 forest fires, deploying 7,700 personnel, as a warm front caused temperatures to soar with the mercury set to hit 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) Tuesday.
“Although the weather conditions do not favour fighting fires, we hope with all our efforts on the ground, we will be able to bring the majority under control within the coming hours,” a Civil Protection Authority spokesman told reporters. Source: www.calgaryherald.com
