More than 100 wildfires stretched thousands of firefighters on the outskirts of northern Portugal on Wednesday, with seven deaths since the worst blazes in years.
Portuguese Prime Minister LuÃs Montenegro declared a state of emergency in the worst-hit areas on Tuesday, calling for the mobilization of additional firefighters and civil servants.
He also asked police investigators to strengthen efforts to find those who put out the fire. He also promised to help those who lost their homes or were evicted.
“We know very well that these difficult hours are not over yet,” Montenegro told the nation in a televised interview. “We must continue to give everything we have and ask for help from our partners and friends to strengthen the protection of our people and property.
Wildfires in central and northern Portugal have killed at least seven people, destroyed dozens of homes and burned tens of thousands of hectares of forest and desert in extreme heat and dry conditions. The government declared a state of emergency that mobilized more than 5,000 firefighters; Spanish crews also supported firefighting efforts.
The European Copernicus satellite service said more than 15,000 hectares were burned and a total of 13 kilometers of firefighting equipment was available on Tuesday night. It noted that the area where 210,000 people live is at risk of fire.
Hot and dry conditions following the outbreak of violence in Portugal have coincided this week with flooding in central Europe. The European Union said on Wednesday that the joint bad weather conditions are evidence of “climate deterioration.”
The Spanish military has sent 240 soldiers and vehicles from its emergency response forces that specialize in fighting fires.
Four water jets have been deployed from France, two from Spain and two from Italy after responding to a request for help from an EU member. Morocco also responded to a request from Portugal with two water drop planes that arrived on Wednesday.
“The thick smoke produced by most of these fires makes it very difficult for air units to operate,” said Civil Protection chief André Fernandes. “We are still at high risk of bushfires in the next 48 hours.”
Thick gray smoke and the smell of burning wood reached about 85 kilometers across the border into northwestern Spain. Montenegro, the prime minister, made a special request for the security forces to go after the arsonists and any people who started the fire due to negligence.
Portuguese police say they have arrested seven men suspected of starting wildfires in recent days. Authorities have banned the use of heavy farming equipment to reduce the risk of accidental fires.
Among the worst affected areas was the Aveiro region, south of the northern city of Porto, but several large blazes were also burning in other forested areas.
Authorities have not yet released figures on property damage or the number of people evacuated, but Portuguese regional broadcaster RTP showed houses burned in rural areas and local residents trying to fight the flames with buckets of water, hoses and even large tree branches.
Some television footage showed visibility reduced to a few meters as orange smoke engulfed the area. Three firefighters died in their vehicle on Tuesday, and another died of what authorities are calling a “sudden illness” while on the job over the weekend.
Three civilians also died, according to civil protection authorities. The health workers have helped 10 people who were seriously injured and 49 others who were slightly injured, said Fernandes.
Portugal was devastated by wildfires in 2017 that killed more than 120 people.
Experts link the fires to climate change and the abandonment of traditional farming and forestry practices that helped keep rural areas free of the underbrush that now fuels fires.