Portugal: Major wildfire declared under control
Posted July 23, 2019 7:00 am
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Firefighters in Portugal have brought a huge wildfire under control after the blaze raged for four days and injured 39 people.
Civil Protection Agency commander Luis Belo Costa said around 1,000 firefighters were keeping watch over smoldering hotspots amid gusting winds and temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius.
Belo Costa says 17 water-dropping aircraft were deemed no longer needed to fight the fire, centered in the district of Castelo Branco, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of Lisbon.
He says hilly terrain and dense woodland had slowed the emergency response, but cooler nighttime and morning temperatures helped firefighters make progress controlling the blaze. Eleven bulldozers were used to create firebreaks.
Trees are seen burnt following a fire near Roda, in central Portugal on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Emergency services in Portugal have brought under control a huge wildfire which raged for four days and injured 39 people. Civil Protection Agency commander Luis Belo Costa says around 1,000 firefighters are watching out for smoldering hotspots amid temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius and gusting winds. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
Fernando Gonçalves, left, and Sueli, right, pose for a photo at their property burnt during a fire at the village of Roda, near Macao, in central Portugal on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Emergency services in Portugal have brought under control a huge wildfire which raged for four days and injured 39 people. Civil Protection Agency commander Luis Belo Costa says around 1,000 firefighters are watching out for smoldering hotspots amid temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius and gusting winds. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
An airplane operates over a fire at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
A tractor vehicle is seen burnt following a fire at the village of Roda, near Macao, in central Portugal on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Emergency services in Portugal have brought under control a huge wildfire which raged for four days and injured 39 people. Civil Protection Agency commander Luis Belo Costa says around 1,000 firefighters are watching out for smoldering hotspots amid temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius and gusting winds. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
A truck is seen burnt following a fire at the village of Roda, near Macao, in central Portugal on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. Emergency services in Portugal have brought under control a huge wildfire which raged for four days and injured 39 people. Civil Protection Agency commander Luis Belo Costa says around 1,000 firefighters are watching out for smoldering hotspots amid temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius and gusting winds. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
An airplane operates over a fire at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
A villager tries to extinguish a wildfire at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
The fire advance at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire at the village of Chaveira, near Macao, in central Portugal on Monday, July 22, 2019. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a major wildfire amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer. About 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) northeast of the capital Lisbon, has been brought under control during cooler overnight temperatures, according to a local Civil Protection Agency commander. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)
The Associated Press
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