Fires hit northern Portugal:600 km² went up in smoke

At least seven people have died so far.The police force is investigating whether the fires were arson and have arrested seven people.

The fires are devastating the north of the country since Sunday 14 September and have so far caused the death of seven people. They can be counted at the moment approximately 620 square kilometers of forests and land burned and another 200 could burn in the next few days.In total, according to the Portuguese Civil Protection are underway right now 60 forest fires and they were mobilized 5,300 firefighters.Among these four they died while trying to quell the flames. Italy, Spain, France and Greece came to the rescue by providing eight Canadianairs.Meanwhile the houses in the area of Branzelo in Melres, in the municipality of Gondomar, were evacuated due to the fires in the district of Port.

The arid and dry climate

The fire situation in Portugal was favored by unusually good weather drier than normal.According to the commander of civil protection Andre Fernandes the situation could worsen due to winds reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour.  For theIpma, the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere are currently there eight districts in the country they are in yellow alert for the heat.The landscape in many areas is surreal with skies painted orange and completely clouded.Many highways have been closed due to wind risks and the government has predicted a Extraordinary Council of Ministers to evaluate the situation.The prime minister himself Luis Montenegro on X stated:“The nation will face extremely difficult times in the coming days.”

Some fires are malicious

The Portuguese police are investigating which and how many fires were caused by human activities.The police force of Gnr (Republican National Guard) arrested seven people on charges of setting fires in the regions of Leiria, Castelo Branco, Porto and Braga.For the national criminal investigation agency, some of the fires were caused by the improper use of agricultural machinery, one motorcycle metal disc, the use of which is prohibited when the possibility of fire is high.Furthermore, two people were accused of using direct flame and voluntarily causing the flames.Since the beginning of the year the GNR claims to have arrested at least thirty people for the crime of forest fire.

Government intervention is needed

In recent years the number of fires in the country has grown more and more given the increase in temperatures.Not since 2001 has there been such a high fire risk in northern Portugal.Notably, the government increased firefighting funding after 2017 fire which it caused 64 victims.Today, as then, the situation is critical.The increase in temperatures does not help and a stronger and more decisive intervention from the government is needed to help the population, especially the displaced.