Forest fire in Portugal kills 62
Many of those killed were caught in cars as blaze swept road
AVELAR, PORTUGAL // A forest fire in central Portugal has killed at least 62 people, many of them trapped in their cars as flames swept over a road.
Portugal declared three days of mourning for victims of the fire that began on Saturday and swept across the Pedrogao Grande, area about 150 kilometres north-east of Lisbon.
Prime minister Antonio Costa said it was the biggest tragedy the country had experienced in years.
The interior ministry said 60 people died from the flames and suffocating smoke, while two people were killed in a traffic accident related to the fires.
Fifty-four people were injured, including four firefighters and a minor.
At least 30 died when their vehicles were engulfed by flames on a road between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera, and three others died from smoke inhalation in Figueiro dos Vinhos.
The rest of the bodies were found outside their cars or in the forest, the official said.
“We cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions,” said Valdemar Alves, mayor of Pedrogao Grande. “I am completely stunned by the number of deaths.”
Investigators believe the blaze was sparked by lightning after finding a tree that was hit during a dry thunderstorm. Portugal had 40°C days last week.
Yesterday more than 350 soldiers joined 700 firefighters who have been struggling to put out the blaze. The interior ministry official said crews were having difficulties in battling the fire, which was “very violent” on at least two of its four fronts.
A Spanish firefighting aircraft was assisting yesterday morning and another was expected to arrive later in the day. France was sending three aircraft.
Mr Costa yesterday tweeted his “deepest regret for the victims and a word of encouragement and strength for all who help combat this scourge”.
Last August, an outbreak of fires across Portugal killed four people, including three on the island of Madeira, and destroyed huge areas of forest.