Portugal asks the European Union for help as several fires spread

The Portuguese government on Monday requested firefighting aircraft from the European Union to put out 15 fires that are ravaging the central and northern regions of the country, including one that burned houses on the outskirts of the town of Albergaria-a-Velha. More than 800 firefighters have been called in to fight this latest blaze and three others in the northwestern district of Aveiro, where one firefighter has died and four others have been injured.

Police have closed motorways – including a stretch of the main road between the capital Lisbon and Porto – and evacuated several villages. Authorities said they had deployed eight seaplanes to the district. The government has requested more aircraft from the European Commission under the EU civil protection mechanism known as RescEU, Reuters reports.

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority has confirmed the death of a firefighter and the injuries of four others in the district of Aveiro, Efe reports. The same source explained that the deceased was fighting the fire in the municipality of Oliveira de Azeméis when he died “suddenly” on Monday. Local media reported that the agent went into cardiac arrest during a break from fighting the flames.

The fire, which started on Sunday afternoon and has spread to the neighbouring town of Albergaria-a-Velha (about 18 kilometres to the south), has caused four other injuries, three of them seriously, according to the Civil Protection source. The fire has also affected several houses and commercial premises. “The situation is developing now. We can find out about some (affected houses) but we do not have the total,” added the spokesman, who described the fire as “quite violent”.

Due to the magnitude of the flames, the emergency agency has requested the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism to receive four amphibious aircraft, according to the same source. In total, there are more than 500 agents, more than 150 vehicles and five aircraft on the ground. The Portuguese Government declared this Sunday the alert situation due to the high risk of forest fires throughout the continental territory of the country, a warning that will extend until Tuesday and that will imply “exceptional” prevention measures.