Overview

• Wildfires have scorched more than 29,000 hectares of land across Portugal so far this year.
• Over 2,000 firefighters supported by water-dropping aircraft are battling active blazes near Vila Real and inside Peneda-Gerês National Park.
• Three firefighters were injured, including two hospitalized for burns and one treated for heat stroke, and 19 elderly residents were evacuated from a nursing home in São Martinho de Anta.
• The German Foreign Office urged travelers to monitor live fire maps on www.fogos.pt and obey local bans on forest access and open flames.
• Climate scientists warn that rising frequency of heatwaves and droughts under climate change is intensifying wildfire risk in southern Europe.