- Forest fires in the Aveiro region halted traffic on motorways.
- Nearly 1,600 firefighters battled 20 fires on Monday.
- The country remains on alert due to high temperatures and strong winds.
Since Sunday, more than 500 firefighters have been combating the largest fire near Oliveira de Azeméis, south of Porto. Further south, Mayor Antonio Loureiro reported that at least two homes burned in two villages in the Albergaria-a-Velha area.
“We already have houses in flames at the moment,” he told Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Police reported that traffic has halted on three motorways in the area. Drivers have been advised against attempting to reach Aveiro. “That is the best way to avoid putting lives at risk,” said Mayor Vitor Ribeiro. The interior ministry announced Monday that a firefighter died “suddenly” on Sunday while taking a break from efforts to contain the fire.
Portugal has experienced fewer wildfires than usual this year. By the end of August, flames had destroyed about 10,300 hectares (25,500 acres), which is a third of last year's loss and seven times less than the average over the past decade.
Since the deadly blazes in 2017 claimed hundreds of lives, Lisbon has increased fire prevention funding ten-fold and doubled the budget for fighting wildfires. Scientists say that human-caused fossil fuel emissions are lengthening, intensifying, and increasing the frequency of global heatwaves, which raises the risk of wildfires. The Iberian Peninsula is particularly vulnerable to global warming, with heatwaves and droughts exposing the region to greater fire risks.
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