Lethal Portuguese blaze was arson, says fire chief

A Portuguese fire chief has suggested arson caused a forest blaze that killed 64 – despite earlier claims by police that it was caused by a storm.

The fire in Pedrogao Grande ravaged 74,000 acres of forests in searing heat and shifting winds before it could be stopped. The president of the League of Firefighters, Jaime Marta Soares, said: “I believe, until there is evidence to the contrary...that the fire was of criminal origin.”