Portugal continues to battle forest fires

Environment Posted on 05/09/2012

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Central and northern areas of Portugal are still being strongly affected by a number of forest fires, and the country has requested EU support to help tackle the blazes.

The heavily-forested area to the north of the country is thought to be the worst affected. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned travellers planning to visit the districts of Viseu, Coimbra and Santarem to check their websites for the latest information.

Those who are already in the country have been advised to follow the advice of local authorities, including evacuation if necessary.

Train services and roads may be affected by the fires, which are currently being fought by Portuguese authorities, as well as four fire fighting aircraft from Spain and France. The aircraft arrived on Tuesday after a request from the Portuguese government for support in tackling the fires.

High temperatures and strong winds are set to continue over the next few days, which would cause more problems for those trying to contain the fires.

David Sharrock, spokesman for the European Community (EC) said "The forecast is for another period of at least four days of extremely dry and hot weather."

More than 280 fires are still burning throughout the country - with more than 8000 firefighters deployed - but authorities now hope to be able to contain the fires after the arrival of the support aircraft.

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In brief : Environment