Firefighters are battling fires in northern Portugal for a fourth day

Firefighters are battling fires in the Aveiro region and other areas of northern Portugal for a fourth day after temperatures soared earlier this week.

About 4,000 firefighters as well as 22 aircraft were battling active wildfires as of 9 a.m. in Lisbon, according to the Portuguese civil protection authority’s website. Colder weather is forecast for Thursday.

Four firefighters have died since Sunday, the government said. Access to some highways in the north of the country remains interrupted.

The government has declared a “situation of calamity” in the affected municipalities and will help provide accommodation for those without a home due to the fires, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said Tuesday evening after an extraordinary cabinet meeting.

Temperatures in Aveiro are forecast to reach highs of 30°C (86°F) on Wednesday and just 23°C on Thursday, according to the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere. The government has restricted access to forest areas due to the increased risk of fires.

About 20,000 hectares have burned since Sunday in the Aveiro region, Lusa news agency reported.

Top photo: Residents protect their homes from a fire in Agueda, in Portugal’s Aveiro region on September 17, 2024. Photo credit: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg

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