Fires: hard hit Portugal maintains strict vigilance
A Portuguese firefighter observes a helicopter attempting to put out a fire near Tavira, in the south of the country, on August 17, 2021. AFP - PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA
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High temperatures and gusty winds are fueling fires in Portugal.
If the great fire of the Algarve, not far from the Spanish border, is now under control, the country remains under close surveillance.
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With our correspondent in Lisbon,
Marie-Line Darcy
Portugal is still under fire alert this Wednesday August 18.
In particular the Algarve, the southern tourist region, hard hit by a gigantic fire since Sunday.
It reached a perimeter of 43 kilometers and, driven by strong winds, destroyed 7,000 hectares of forests and agricultural land.
A fire that was dominated for the first time but which started again with a vengeance before being definitively under control on Tuesday afternoon.
These two days and one night of combat did not give the 650 mobilized firefighters time to breathe.
80 people had to be evacuated from isolated hamlets as a precaution, but they were able to reach their homes.
The hinterland of the Algarve tourist region remains under close surveillance.
The alert triggered six days ago due to the current heat wave continues.
Some 3,500 men are mobilized every day from north to south of the country.
Portugal has requested technical assistance from the European Copernicus system, which allows fires to be monitored by satellite.
18 August #EFFIS Fire Danger Forecast
Moderate but favorable evolution
Extreme & very extreme conditions over large areas of 🇪🇸🇮🇹🇬🇷🇹🇷 & and northern Maghreb (but reduction of areas concerned), in the southern half of 🇵🇹, in southern 🇫🇷 & in southwestern 🇷🇴
Hotspots in 🇦🇱🇲🇰🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/wrvedbPOOi
- Copernicus EMS (@CopernicusEMS) August 18, 2021
► To read also: Greece: on the island of Euboea, the fires cause an ecological and economic disaster
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