Rare Fire Tornado Rips Through Northern Portugal as Former Mayor Dies Fighting Blazes
Cross-border aerial support bolstered a force of almost 4,000 firefighters under extended high-risk alerts to contain the wildfire that spawned the filmed tornado.
Overview
- Footage captured a rare fire tornado in Aguiar de Beira, northern Portugal, leaving widespread destruction on Friday.
- Former Vila Franca do Deão mayor Carlos Dâmaso died while fighting a fire in Pêra do Moço, with his body recovered and death confirmed on Friday.
- Portugal has extended its high-risk fire alert and deployed nearly 4,000 firefighters, including support from Spanish aerial firefighting units.
- Ongoing wildfires in Tenerife and multiple Turkish provinces have prompted evacuations and reported additional fatalities as temperatures soared.
- This wave of blazes follows a pattern of extreme heat-driven wildfires in the Mediterranean and recalls Portugal’s 2024 state of calamity.