Yesterday’s three wildfires in the north of Portugal were all ‘dominated’ overnight, but then a new one ‘flared up’ in Montalegre – coincidentally another area where local people are fighting plans for lithium mining.
By lunchtime today, there were les than 80 firefighters on the ground, but 11 aircraft tackling the two fronts in a ‘difficult to access’ area close to the Spanish border.
Five of the aircraft are Spanish, a source for civil protection has told Lusa – and for the time being at least there appears to be no infrastructure at risk.
The fire is described as burning “at medium intensity”, fanned by wind.
Spanish authorities however have said the fire is burning at “great intensity” on the Galician border.
With luck, the cooling temperatures will, as with yesterday’s blazes, help combat efforts bring this latest incident under control (see update below)
The moot point, as with so many fires this year, is the fact that the blaze started in the early hours of the morning, when it was still dark: conditions that would not usually see a fire igniting on its own.
UPDATE SUNDAY: In the early hours of this morning, a source for the civil protection authority reported that unfortunately this fire has not yet yeilded to efforts of combat, and is continuing to burn “with intensity”.
A few hours later, the news was that it too has been ‘dominated’. Firefighting teams and aerial support will remain in place, to try to ensure there are no ‘reignitions’.
Source: LUSA/ fogos.pt
