teleSur
On Tuesday, the fire continues to advance in southern Portugal, where a fire in the Odemira municipality has already burned over 7,000 hectares, a figure that represents more than half of the area affected by fire so far this year.
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This European country is experiencing the worst wave of fires this summer. Although some wildfires have been controlled in recent days, the flames have been active in Odemira since Saturday.
“This is the wildfire that arouses the greatest concern,” Civil Protection Commander Andre Fernandes said, explaining that the fire affected pine, eucalyptus, cork oak, strawberry tree and scrub forests.
The terrain is also complicating the work of extinction of the fire that has two active fronts. Currently, local authorities are working to prevent the Odemira wildfire from spreading to the Serra de Monchique.
“The next 24 hours are fundamental,” Fernandes pointed out and recalled that weather forecasts do not augur favorable conditions for fighting the fire as humidity is less than 50 percent and temperatures are above 30 degrees Celsius.
So far, some 1,000 firefighters are deployed in Odemira and have the support of over 300 ground vehicles and 11 aerial means.
According to the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), 50 percent of the 25,279 hectares of forests burned so far this year were lost in August.
In Castelo Branco and Proenca-a-Nova, two areas located in the center of the country, over 7,000 hectares burned over the weekend, due to a fire that reached some houses, causing 14 minor injuries, and leaving losses of millions of euros.
Currently, about 120 municipalities are in maximum danger of fire, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA). The Portuguese government, however, ruled out for the moment declaring a situation of alert in the country.
