Portugal and France have their hands full with large forest fires, heat and drought. And the worst is yet to come. For example, parts of northern and central Portugal face “steep rises in temperature” to more than 40 degrees that will last until at least Tuesday, according to Portugal’s Meteorological Institute. It will also remain very warm in the south of France for the time being.
In northern and central Portugal, about a thousand firefighters were busy this weekend to extinguish forest fires. A retirement home and a river beach were evacuated as a precaution. Heavy fires are also raging in the Mafra area, about 40 kilometers north of the capital Lisbon. Television footage showed residents trying to slow the flames’ advance by spraying their gardens as the flames swept through neighboring forests. They are assisted by 400 firefighters.
In the south of France, 350 hectares burned down in Gard, where a firefighter was seriously injured, and 35 hectares near Marseille, partially closing highways around the port city. A fire in a pine forest in the town of Aubais, south of Nimes, left four firefighters injured, one seriously, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reported.
