The former mayor of the city of Planta, Carlos Damasco, died when he participated in the attempts to extinguish the fires on Friday. This was announced by the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who at the same time announced that he is interrupting his vacation to return to the presidential palace and from there join the leadership of the rescue work
Portugal is suffering from oppressive heat that has been the basis for several fires in forests and land. On Friday, more than 3,000 firefighters are fighting mainly five large fires in the northern and central parts of the country.
Spanish fires
A dozen active fires are still raging in northwestern Spain, reports the Spanish news agency EFE. Among other things, it is burning in Galicia, Asturias and Castile and León.
On Friday, an additional 1,300 soldiers were deployed in the battle to get the flames under control – in winds and temperatures around 40 degrees.
"This will probably be a very difficult day with extreme risk of new fires," warns Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on X.
Both Spain and Portugal have turned to the EU for help, including support with fire-fighting aircraft.
Roads closed
Three people have been killed, two of them volunteer firefighters. Several more are being treated for severe burns, writes El País.
In just a few days, the wave of fires has consumed almost 115,000 hectares – an area about five times the size of Stockholm city. A dozen roads have been forced to close and high-speed trains between Madrid and Galicia have been put on pause indefinitely.
