Calay News
Some 900 firefighters, backed by 10 aircraft, were mobilized in the Odemira region, near the touristy Algarve in Portugal, where several thousand hectares have been consumed in forest fires, according to initial reports. On Monday night, it was possible to “stabilize the perimeter” of the fire, although the commander of the Portuguese civil protection, José Ribeiro, indicated that “two critical points” will continue to require “enormous efforts.” Inhabitants of around twenty municipalities and tourists in rural accommodations were evacuated on Monday, with many staying in makeshift shelters.
In the Leiria region of central Portugal, another major fire appeared to subside overnight from Monday to Tuesday after devastating some 7,000 hectares. In total, approximately 2,800 firefighters and 16 aircraft are deployed throughout the Portuguese territory. Although temperatures are expected to drop slightly on Tuesday, they are likely to reach 40 degrees Celsius in some places after a temperature of 46.4°C was recorded in Santarem on Monday, setting a possible record for 2023, according to the weather agency. portuguese.
The alert persists on both sides of the border, with the southwest of Spain on orange alert and the province of Córdoba at a red level, indicating extreme risk according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). Temperatures in Spain could reach 44 degrees on Tuesday and, above all, on Wednesday, considered the peak of this heat wave and the third of the summer, according to Aemet.
This episode is expected to last until Thursday, with several Spanish provinces, including Andalusia, the Madrid region, Castilla la Mancha, and the Basque Country, on red alert. Over the weekend, more than 1,000 hectares were consumed by flames in Spain, and a new fire broke out on Monday in Extremadura, a neighboring region of Portugal, which could not be brought under control by firefighters overnight. The Iberian Peninsula is on the front lines of climate change in Europe, experiencing a series of heat waves, droughts, and fires.
Sunday, September 8, 2024
