Thousands of firefighters battle forest blazes in Portugal

  • 2/5/2023
  • 16:19
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LISBON, Portugal, Dhu-Al-Qa'dah 05, 1437, August 08, 2016, SPA -- More than 4,400 firefighters battled hundreds of forest blazes of varying sizes across Portugal on Monday, authorities said, as the annual summer wildfire season hit a peak. The National Civil Protection Authority said on its website that by late afternoon almost 1,500 vehicles and 32 water-dumping aircraft were deployed at 702 wildfires, some of which have been burning for days. It classified eight wildfires in the north of the country as major blazes that were out of control. The fires spread quickly through mostly pine and eucalyptus forests that are tinder-dry after weeks without significant rain. Daytime temperatures in recent days have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and in some northern cities exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Monday. Despite the dramatic scenes no injuries were reported, though some families had to evacuate their homes and some farm buildings burned down. --SPA 19:49 LOCAL TIME 16:49 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w

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