Wildfires which ravaged Portugal are 90pc under control but could still spread

Huge wildfires that have ravaged a mountainous region of central Portugal and left dozens injured have been ’90 per cent’ controlled.

While most of the flames have been put out,  firefighters warned that strong winds could cause the blaze to spread.

More than 1,700 firefighters were deployed to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region 120 miles north of Lisbon.

Huge wildfires that have ravaged a mountainous region of central Portugal and left dozens injured have been ’90 per cent’ controlled. Pictured: A firefighter helps to put out a forest fire next to the village of Cardigos

While most of the flames have been put out, firefighters warned that strong winds could cause the blaze to spread

While most of the flames have been put out, firefighters warned that strong winds could cause the blaze to spread

More than 1,700 firefighters were deployed to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region 120 miles north of Lisbon. Pictured: A villager shouts for help as a wildfire approaches a house at Casas da Ribeira village in Macao, central Portugal

More than 1,700 firefighters were deployed to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region 120 miles north of Lisbon. Pictured: A villager shouts for help as a wildfire approaches a house at Casas da Ribeira village in Macao, central Portugal

The fires have been ’90 per cent controlled’, Pedro Nunes, the spokesman for Portugal’s civil protection force, told a news conference in the central town of Serta.

‘Despite a significant effort carried out overnight… 10 per cent of the perimeter of the fire is still active… mainly in hard to reach areas,’ he added.

Thirty-one people have been injured in the blaze which broke out on Saturday amid scorching temperatures, including eight firefighters, according to the interior ministry.

One badly burned civilian was evacuated by helicopter to Lisbon.

The fires have been '90 per cent controlled', Pedro Nunes, the spokesman for Portugal's civiA villager uses a water hose to put out flames during a wildfire in Roda village in Macaol protection force, told a news conference in the central town of Serta. Pictured:

 The fires have been ’90 per cent controlled’, Pedro Nunes, the spokesman for Portugal’s civil protection force, told a news conference in the central town of Serta. Pictured: A villager uses a water hose to put out flames during a wildfire in Roda village in Macao

Nunes said winds were expected to pick up in the afternoon, with gusts of up to 22 miles per hour.

‘We are going to have a complicated day. The wind has been the great motor of this fire,’ he added.

The centre of Portugal is hilly and covered in dense forest and is regularly ravaged by fires, including the deadliest in the country’s history when 114 people died in two separate blazes in June and October 2017.

The centre of Portugal is hilly and covered in dense forest and is regularly ravaged by fires, including the deadliest in the country's history when 114 people died in two separate blazes in June and October 2017

The centre of Portugal is hilly and covered in dense forest and is regularly ravaged by fires, including the deadliest in the country’s history when 114 people died in two separate blazes in June and October 2017

The forests are largely eucalyptus, a highly flammable wood used in the paper industry

The forests are largely eucalyptus, a highly flammable wood used in the paper industry

Much of the population in the area is elderly, as young people move to the cities.

The forests are largely eucalyptus, a highly flammable wood used in the paper industry.  

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, police said a 55-year-old man was detained on suspicion of starting a blaze in the district of Castelo Branco, where the wildfires started before spreading to nearby Santarem.

‘The suspect’s actions put people’s lives, houses and the forest at risk,’ the police said, without explicitly saying the arrested man was responsible for the ongoing wildfire.

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, police said a 55-year-old man was detained on suspicion of starting a blaze in the district of Castelo Branco, where the wildfires started before spreading to nearby Santarem

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, police said a 55-year-old man was detained on suspicion of starting a blaze in the district of Castelo Branco, where the wildfires started before spreading to nearby Santarem

Internal administration minister Eduardo Cabrita said police had opened an investigation into the fires, adding that local authorities considered it unusual that all the blazes had started in a narrow time frame between 2.30pm and 3.30pm local time on Saturday in the same area.  

Ricardo Aires, the mayor of Vila de Rei, one of the affected municipalities, told Portugal’s public broadcaster RTP that there were not enough firefighters or resources.

Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said in a statement he was following the situation closely and sent solidarity to those affected.

Firefighters stand by as flames rise into the air after they tried to extinguish the wildfire near Cardigos village, in central Portugal

Firefighters stand by as flames rise into the air after they tried to extinguish the wildfire near Cardigos village, in central Portugal

A statement on the presidential website said: ‘Aware of adverse weather conditions, the President of the Republic conveys all solidarity to the men and women who fight them, as well as to the most directly affected populations, accompanied by all the Portuguese.’  

State broadcaster RTP televised images of flames consuming wooded areas of the rural region that has seen recurrent wildfires in Portugal’s hot, dry summer months.

It showed firefighters hosing down a line of advancing flames as they rapidly approached houses in the village of Sarnadas – while desperate residents looked on and water-dumping aircraft swooped overhead.

The fires broke out on Saturday across three fronts in the district of Castelo Branco, 125 miles northeast of Lisbon, Portugal's Civil Protection Agency said. Pictured: A firefighter monitors the progression of a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal, today

The fires broke out on Saturday across three fronts in the district of Castelo Branco, 125 miles northeast of Lisbon, Portugal’s Civil Protection Agency said. Pictured: A firefighter monitors the progression of a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal, today

While most of the injuries were caused by smoke inhalation, one person was evacuated to a hospital to be treated for burns, according to health authorities.  

At least one road was closed and several residents were told to leave their homes.

The Portuguese Army deployed a mobile kitchen to help feed those affected by the fire and was using its tracked vehicles to help clear roads for firefighting crews.

In recent years, the country has witnessed some of its deadliest fires on record, with 106 people killed in 2017.

That year’s death toll prompted the Portuguese government to back stronger firefighting prevention measures, leading to no wildfire deaths in 2018.

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