Massive wildfires raging in northern Portugal have burned an estimated 10,000 hectares of forest, with extremely hot and dry weather sparking fires across the country and prompting the government to seek international aid. A fire broke out in the city of Vozela in the Viseu region on Wednesday night, injuring at least nine people, two of whom were seriously injured. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and one civilian suffered serious burns, according to Portugal’s national civil protection agency. About 1,000 firefighters, supported by about 300 vehicles and eight planes or helicopters, have been deployed to fight the blaze. Four other smaller outbreaks are also being extinguished by at least 100 firefighters. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said Portugal had activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism and bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco to reinforce troops. “Not because our capabilities are exhausted, but because in the current situation our entire territory is at very high risk,” Montenegro was quoted as saying by AFP. Due to very hot and dry weather, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius in some areas, Portugal’s meteorological agency has placed 12 of the country’s 18 continental regions on red alert, with about 10 of them at the highest alert level that will last until Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, neighboring Spain is also battling rapidly spreading wildfires off the Costa Brava. The fire has burned 1,280 hectares (3,160 acres) of land and forced the evacuation of about 150 people, including about 70 children from a holiday camp. More than 200 firefighters, supported by air resources, are battling the blaze, while more than 200 soldiers from the Army’s emergency response force have also been deployed. Authorities also arrested a man suspected of starting a fire while using an angle grinder on the side of the road.
