Portugal: many fires hit the country with 3,000 hectares already devastated

Impressive flames several meters high, and totally overwhelmed Portuguese firefighters: Monday, July 11, Portugal is hit by numerous forest fires. Faced with an uncontrollable fire, residents are fighting with the means at hand, trying to smother the fire with branches, or to spray the vegetation around their partly burned houses with a garden hose.

In the northern area of ​​Lisbon (Portugal)three major outbreaks mobilized nearly 2,800 firefighters. 3,000 hectares have already been devastated, and some houses completely destroyed. On Sunday July 10, other villages affected by the fires were preparing to evacuate the most vulnerable. Monday morning, the main fires were contained, but Lisbon declared a state of contingency to mobilize more rescue teams, and asked for help from Europe. The weather situation is unprecedentedwith temperatures of 44°C and no precipitation. The heat wave that is setting in could still set the country ablaze in the coming days.