Officials criticized as wildfires plague Portugal

Firefighters and anxious residents braced Tuesday for a fifth straight night of battling a major wildfire that is racing across tinder-dry forested hills in southern Portugal.

The blaze is sending high plumes of smoke across the Algarve region’s beaches and bringing criticism of authorities for failing to halt the flames.

A strong seasonal wind from the north known as a “nortada” was driving the fire south toward Silves, a town of about 6,000 people, after it narrowly missed the smaller town of Monchique. Several hundred people were evacuated, officials said.

Almost 1,200 firefighters, supported by 16 aircraft and 358 vehicles, were deployed around Monchique, about 250 kilometres south of Lisbon, where the blaze came within 500 me- tres of the local fire station. An unknown number of homes — believed to be in the dozens, according to local reports — in the forested hills have burned down.

With so many resources deployed, many residents asked why the fire was still burning, especially after 95 per cent of it was under control on Monday.

Firefighters also questioned the wisdom of the strategy to counter the flames, with some claiming poor organization was thwarting the operation. Monchique was identified as a highrisk area months ago.

Portugal beefed up its wildfire response over the winter after 109 people died last year in forest blazes.

Temperatures were forecast to reach 35 C — normal for August in southern Portugal. Temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 45 C last weekend.