Firefighters battle wildfires in Portugal as thousands forced to evacuate
Tourists are among hundreds who scrambled to evacuate homes and holiday resorts in Portugal as a wildfire inferno ripped across the country during a 46C heatwave.
The wildfire started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, but it has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal’s most popular tourist destinations.
On Monday, about 1,400 people were evacuated from villages and a camp site as a precaution. They were gradually returning home on Tuesday.
The National Civil Protection Service said about 1,000 firefighters, 320 vehicles and nine aircraft were deployed at that fire on Tuesday. It has so far scorched around 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres).
The recent spate of wildfires came as temperatures have spiked. On Monday, the city of Santarem, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the capital, Lisbon, set the year’s highest temperature at 46.4 C (115.5 F).
Officials said three fires that started over the weekend have been brought under control or had been extinguished Tuesday.
The biggest blaze, in the northeast, burned about 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and required the evacuation of 150 people.
