Portugal’s worst wildfire in living memory claims 61 lives

PORTUGAL declared three days of national mourning yesterday after at least 61 people died in the country’s worst wildfire in living memory, many of them in their cars as they tried to flee.

Firefighters were last night continuing to battle the blaze in the country’s central Leiria district.

At least four children are among the dead, most of whom were engulfed by flames as they tried to escape the village of Pedrógão Grande, which was surrounded by the fast-moving fire on Saturday evening.

Driven to desperation by fear, residents tried to escape the village along the road through the blazing forest. The charred remains of 30 people were found in their cars, with a further 17 found dead on the road.

Another 10 bodies have been found in the forest after they had presumably fled in search of protection from what Portuguese authorities are describing as a “fire storm”.

The first victim to be named in local media was a four-year-old boy, Rodrigo Rosário, who died along with his uncle, Sidel Belchior, as they attempted to flee on Saturday. According to the newspaper Jornal de Notícias, the car they were in collided with another vehicle before a blazing tree fell on both.

The occupants of the cars managed to get out of their vehicles but were engulfed by the blaze.

Around 60 fires were raging around Portugal over the weekend, with temperatures soaring up to 104F (40C) in many areas.