‘The flames are 7 metres high’, wildfires rage in Spain and Portugal

‘The flames are 7 metres high’, wildfires rage in Spain and Portugal

MADRID: -- Thousands of firefighters in Spain and Portugal are battling blazes, as officials hope for a change in the weather to stop the spread of the flames.

The fires have been spreading across the Galicia region of northern Spain and the north-east of Portugal.

Galicia

Incendios
?Oímbra 1.500 ha
? Muíños 800 ha
? Boborás 500 ha
? Entrimo 400 ha
? Chantada 106 ha
? Lobeira 50 ha pic.twitter.com/kfU31h70Wu

— La Voz de Galicia (@lavozdegalicia) September 7, 2016

Spanish Civil Guards joined firefighters to tackle the blaze, which has been fanned by high winds and soaring temperatures.

One volunteer explained how he was almost caught by the changing winds.

“It changes suddenly. It changed there and we were almost caught by the fire. Two guys got trapped and we did not know about them for a while,” he explained.

“The roads are impassable,” explained anothe resident. “There are limited means. We understand that there are many fires, and it is difficult to find a solution.”

Portugal

Portugal has seen more than 5,000 hectares burnt in the last three days.

The wildfires spreading through the districts of Faro, Bragança, Vila Real and Guarda were of most concern to authorities.

One of the worst fires reported in Monchique in the mountains to the west of the Algarve. The head of Faro’s rescue operations said it was ‘hell’ and that they couldn’t be sure if the fire was started deliberately or if the strong winds were to blame.

“The flames are seven metres high,” exclaimed one resident adding, “the firefighters can’t go any further”.

Air support has been brought in to help more than 2,000 fire fighters who are fighting around 50 blazes raging across the mainland.

The country suffered devastating wildfires in August, which already burned through more than 100,000 hectares.

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-09-09