100 are feared dead as forest inferno traps drivers in cars
FOREST fires which have killed at least 61 people in Portugal were caused by lightning, police said yesterday.
The death toll is expected to rise with many people still missing.
Two Britons received minor burns and were also treated for smoke inhalation. They have since been discharged from hospital.
Ruling out arson, national director of policing Almeida Rodrigues said: “We have managed to establish the origin of the fire. We’ve found a tree that was struck by lightning.
“We’ve determined that the fire was caused by thunderstorms.”
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: “Horrified to hear of tragic loss of life in Portugal fires. Thoughts and condolences with our Portuguese friends at this time.”
One of the casualties was a fouryear-old boy named locally as Rodrigo Rosario. His grandmother said his body was found next to a car where his uncle Sidel Belchior, 37, had burnt to death inside.
They were found near the spot where the fire broke out in Pedrogao Grande, central Portugal.
In tears, his grandmother told a TV station: “His uncle was found inside the car and they’ve just told me they found a four-year-old boy next to the vehicle.”
The youngster’s parents were told of the tragedy while they were enjoying a honeymoon in Cape Verde.
His mother Ana Cardita Rosario had been sending out desperate social media appeals for information on her son’s whereabouts.
It is believed four other children aged three to eight are also dead.
Fernando Lopes is head of the town hall in Castanheira de Pera near the central Portuguese city of Leiria, near where many were killed after being trapped in their cars.
He said: “This is a catastrophic situation. Many houses have burnt down – we don’t know how many.”
The fire started in the municipality of Pedrogao Grande on Saturday afternoon. Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said the speed at which it spread was “inexplicable”.
At least 16 people died in their vehicles, others from smoke inhalation. Two firefighters are missing.
Three days of mourning have been declared in Portugal.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has visited the scene of the tragedy. Prime minister Antonio Costa called the tragedy “the worst loss of human life in recent years”.
Pedrogao Grande mayor Valdemar Alves said the final death toll could near 100.
Several villages are described as being “surrounded by flames” and unreachable to emergency services.
Blazes were active on four fronts yesterday morning with hundreds of firefighters still on duty.
Footage also broadcast yesterday showed desperate drivers turning around on a smoke-filled rural road.
Another traumatic picture showed a woman sat on the side of the road with her head in her hands.