Portugal battles final deadly forest fires in the North

• Five lives have been lost, including four firefighters, and 77 injured, 12 in serious condition.
• 1,200 firefighters are actively battling six remaining fires in Aveiro and Viseu.
• Dozens of houses have also been destroyed or damaged.

According to official data released Thursday, Portugal’s firefighters have controlled most of the deadly forest fires in the north of the country. Improving weather conditions have raised hopes that they could extinguish the remaining blazes by the end of the day.

The wildfires, ignited over the weekend by intense heat and strong winds, have claimed five lives, including four firefighters. Another 77 people have been injured, with 12 in serious condition. By late Thursday morning, the civil protection service reported that 1,200 firefighters were actively battling the six remaining fires in the northern districts of Aveiro and Viseu.

A day earlier, 3,900 firefighters were tackling 42 active fires, supported by over a thousand vehicles and around 30 aircraft. Overnight, the teams brought several blazes in villages in the Aveiro region, covering a front of approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles), under control. Temperatures have dropped since the weekend, and rain is forecast for Friday.

Extensive damage has occurred in the north and center of the country, primarily affecting eucalyptus groves. The Copernicus Observatory estimated on Wednesday that the fires have destroyed at least 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of vegetation.

Data from the European Forest Fires Information System (Effis) revealed that the recent fires have burned a total area of 100,000 hectares, ten times more than the area affected since the beginning of summer. Dozens of houses have also been destroyed or damaged.

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