Dozens die when a raging wildfire engulfs homes and fleeing motorists.
PEDROGAO GRANDE, Portugal — A raging forest fire in central Portugal sent flames sweeping over roads, killing at least 62 people, many of them trapped in their cars as they tried to flee, officials said Sunday. The country’s prime minister called it the biggest tragedy that Portugal has experienced in decades and declared three days of national mourning.
A huge wall of thick smoke and bright red flames towered over the top of trees in the forested Pedrogao Grande area about 95 miles northeast of Lisbon where a lightning strike was believed to have sparked the blaze Saturday.
Portugal, like most southern European countries, is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months. At least four other significant wildfires affected different areas of the country Sunday, but the one in Pedrogao Grande was responsible for all the deaths.
“The dimensions of this fire have caused a human tragedy beyond any in our memory,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on his arrival at the scene Sunday. “Something extraordinary has taken place and we have to wait for technicians to properly determine its causes.”
Police searched charred areas of the forest and isolated homes for more bodies Sunday while 350 soldiers joined the 700 firefighters who have been struggling to put out the blaze.
The forest fire deaths were the biggest in memory in Portugal, which saw 25 soldiers die fighting wildfires in 1966. In August, an outbreak of fires across Portugal killed four people, including three on the island of Madeira, and destroyed huge areas of forest.
Resident Isabel Brandao said she had feared for her life when she saw the blaze.
“Yesterday we saw the fire but thought it was very far. I never thought it would come to this side,” she said Sunday. “At 3:30 a.m., my mother-in-law woke me up quickly and we never went to sleep again. We were afraid the fire would reach us.”
Other locals were also shocked.
“This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions,” said Valdemar Alves, the mayor of Pedrogao Grande. “I am completely stunned by the number of deaths.”
Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said firefighting crews were having difficulties battling the fire, which was “very intense” in at least two of its four fronts. He said authorities were worried about strong winds that could help spread the blaze further.
Schools in the area were closed until further notice and outdoor fires were banned, authorities announced Sunday.
Gomes gave a grim description of the deaths to RTP. He said at least 30 people died inside their cars as they tried to flee between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera. He said 17 others died right outside their cars or by the road, 11 people died in the forest and two people died in a car accident related to the fire.