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Fires contained in Portugal, situation remains ‘serious’

#Fires #contained #Portugal #situation #remains

Firefighters in Portugal on Monday contained two wildfires that have devastated the center of the country, which is under a state of emergency due to an ongoing heatwave.

The blazes left 27 people with minor injuries, while seven homes and two farm structures were damaged in recent days, said Andre Fernandes, a civil defense commander.

“No significant fire is active at the moment (but) the situation is serious,” he added at a media briefing.

The worst fire broke out on Thursday in the town of Ourem, 130 kilometers north of Lisbon.

It tore through some 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of vegetation and about 600 firefighters remained in the area after it was contained to prevent it from restarting.

A fire that broke out in the neighboring community of Pombal on Friday and destroyed 560 hectares was also contained Monday morning with 300 firefighters remaining on standby.

Another fire ravaged a strip of forest near Carrazeda de Ansiaes in a remote region of northeastern Braganza District between Thursday and Saturday.

Since Thursday, Portugal has been hit by high temperatures, which are expected to exceed 45 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions this week.

“In the coming days we will see conditions of maximum risk,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.

“The slightest inattention could lead to a fire of considerable proportions.”

The Portuguese government has declared a national “state of emergency” to bolster emergency services and strengthen emergency powers.

Lisbon has also asked the European Union to activate its civil protection mechanism and two firefighting planes have already been dispatched from Spain to Portugal.

“Today the country is better prepared” than in 2017, when wildfires killed over 100 people, said Costa, who canceled a visit to Mozambique in response to the crisis.

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#Fires #contained #Portugal #situation #remains

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