At Least 17 Firefighters Injured as Portugal Braces for Intensifying Wildfires

Storyful

At least 17 firefighters have been injured in wildfires burning in Leiria, western Portugal – blazes which are expected to worsen amid forecasts of continued high temperatures and low humidity.

The Portuguese Government also declared a Contingency Situation – which allows the civil protection department to mobilize “all means necessary” to fight fires – from Monday, July 11, to Friday, July 15, due to the increased risk of forest fires during the heat wave.

This footage posted to Twitter shows smoke rising from fires in Leiria, Portugal, and clouding over the region.

In a post on his official Twitter account, Portugal’s Prime Minister said it is “essential that there is a national effort to reduce the number of ignitions” during this high-risk period. Credit: Inês Almeida via Storyful

Video Transcript

[NO SPEECH]