Spain, Italy Send 120 Firefighters and 2 Water-Bombers to Portugal as Vouzela Fire Burns 11,000 Hectares
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Jul 4
Spain, Italy Send 120 Firefighters and 2 Water-Bombers to Portugal as Vouzela Fire Burns 11,000 Hectares
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Jul 4
Summary
Portugal brought in EU-backed foreign aid after the Vouzela wildfire became its biggest emergency, with Spanish crews already deployed and Italian aircraft due to start operations on Sunday.
118 Spanish firefighters with 45 vehicles and two Italy-supplied Canadair water-bombers were sent after Lisbon activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism; Morocco is also expected to provide support under bilateral agreements.
11,000 hectares had burned around Vouzela by 16:00 Saturday, where 1,238 firefighters, 411 vehicles and six aircraft were already battling the blaze.
Nine people were injured in the past 24 hours, including two seriously, as Portugal placed the mainland on alert from July 3 to 6 amid temperatures forecast to reach 44C.
The government has banned forest access and restricted some rural machinery use, underscoring how extreme heat is widening wildfire risks across Portugal.