LISBON (Reuters) – A wildfire that erupted on Tuesday afternoon in the mountainous area of Cascais, a popular Portuguese holiday destination near the capital Lisbon, is under control, but authorities said firefighters would remain on the ground to avoid reignition.
Civil protection commander Elisio Oliveira said on Wednesday the blaze no longer posed a risk to the population but urged people, particularly motorists, to avoid the area.
The wildfire started at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday in an area that is part of the Sintra-Cascais natural park, which covers around 145 square km (56 square miles) of land and is located just west of Lisbon.
Backed by vehicles and water-bombing planes, more than 600 firefighters were brought in, but strong winds complicated their initial efforts. Local residents also helped with buckets of water and hosepipes.
Around 90 people were evacuated as a precaution, but no houses have been damaged and no major injuries have been reported, according to authorities.
A large fire broke out at the Sintra-Cascais natural park in September 2018, burning around 430 hectares.
EU data shows Portugal, which has escaped the recent heatwave that caused deaths and destruction across southern Europe, is usually one of the worst-hit countries by wildfires within the bloc.
Extreme weather in July has caused havoc across the planet, with record temperatures in China, the United States and southern Europe sparking forest fires, water shortages and a rise in heat-related hospital admissions.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Emma Rumney)
