More than 1,100 firefighters and 14 water-carrying aircraft participated today, Saturday, in efforts to control a massive wildfire that broke out in the Castelo Branco region of central Portugal. Civil protection authorities stated that hot weather and strong winds will make it difficult to extinguish the fire for several days. The fire has destroyed an estimated area of about 60 square kilometers of forests and shrubland, with smoke reaching the Shrine of Fatima, where hundreds of thousands of visitors gathered to see Pope Francis today, Saturday.
Authorities evacuated about 100 residents from the villages as a precaution, but civil defense chief Jody Rato told reporters that there have been no reports of injuries or damage to homes due to the fire. He added that the fire, which started yesterday afternoon in a remote area, will require "a few days of work" to contain because the ground has a lot of combustible materials.
The Portuguese government weather agency has forecast temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celsius tomorrow, Sunday, in Castelo Branco, up from 38 degrees today, Saturday. They also issued a red warning for high temperatures in the capital Lisbon, located 200 kilometers to the southwest, where temperatures are expected to reach 41 degrees Celsius on the last day of the Pope's visit.
