Huge Portugal forest fire under control but may flare up again

LISBON • Officials said a massive forest fire in Portugal was "under control" after raging for days, but more than 1,000 firefighters were still battling to keep it contained yesterday.

The huge fire in Serra da Estrela national park in central Portugal was brought under control last week, only to restart again on Monday.

More than 25,000ha of land are estimated to have been scorched by the fire in the Unesco-listed park, home to diverse wildlife species including wildcats and lizards.

An official said late on Wednesday the blaze was contained but warned that it could flare up again.

"The fire is under control but it is not extinguished. Consolidation work will continue in the coming days," civil protection commander Miguel Oliveira told TSF radio.

"It is always possible, and very likely, that there will be new reactivations but we hope that they do not take on worrying proportions," he said.

Portugal's National Civil Protection Authority said more than 1,000 firefighters were still mobi-lised around the Serra da Estrela blaze yesterday.

Weather forecasts are predicting a fresh heatwave tomorrow, the latest in a string of hot spells in Portugal this year. July was the hottest on record in nearly a century.

Interior Minister Jose Luis Carneiro said on Wednesday that "we will experience increased risks" of fires in the coming days due to hot and dry conditions.

Since the start of the year, some 92,000ha have burned in Portugal in the worst fires since 2017, when around 100 people were killed.

Experts say that climate change driven by human activity is boosting the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts and wildfires.

The Serra da Estrela fire started on Aug 6 outside the central town of Covilha, with the authorities deploying 390 fire engines and 14 planes and helicopters in efforts to control it.

Firefighters, who hope to keep the fire from spreading farther before temperatures rise again today, have thrown a 160km cordon around the area.

The upcoming heatwave is forecast to last into September.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE