Raging blaze in Portugal: Death toll rising from major forest fire, 17/18 June 2017

[Cidersomerset]

This tragedy surprised me as I look at the headline page , we are having a mini
heat wave here in the UK but nothing on this scale with the rapid spread of several
fires it has caught many people out as they travelled through the area.


Portugal forest fires: Three days of mourning for 61 victims

short vid on link...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40320411

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Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=RJZKsvZqlys

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Portugal: Drone captures the devastation of deadly Pedrogao Grande forest fires

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fDIdBk1OVhk

Raging blaze: Death toll rising as major forest fire sweeps through Portugal

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At least 61 die in Portugal forest fires - Louisa Pilbeam reports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NZriNXh7K4
Many of the victims died while trapped in their cars as flames swept over a road
between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera.

[AutumnW]

Omg. Thanks for posting this. I can't imagine how scary, painful and traumatic for the Portueguese, particularly the survivors and victim's families.

No such thing as global warming??? Proof positive is all around us.

[Noelle]

I don't think we can say it's a result of global warming. We get freak dry spells in Florida too, when strong high pressure centers move in, meaning no rain and low humidity; temps go into the 90s; and brush fires begin. We just came out of such a spell, with brush fires burning across the state. No one here seems to pointing to global warming. Anyway, my thoughts go out to Portugal.

[EFO]

If the data is accurate,in the following link are some statistics in pdf format regarding wood fires.For example 1994-1996.
And being sarcastic at the end of "burning season" they will celebrate:

[Eric J (Viking)]

I remember reading somewhere that with all the changes which are going to happen 'the fires will be the worst'... the days are upon us!

Viking

[Cidersomerset]

Portugal forest fire: 12 survive by hiding in a water tank

2 minutes ago


Many residents were left stranded as the fire blocked roads

Twelve people survived one of Portugal's deadliest fires by seeking
refuge in a water tank after access to their village was cut off by the blaze.

The residents, including a disabled 95-year-old woman, spent more
than six hours in the tank as the fire prevented them from being rescued.

"If it wasn't for this, we would all have died," one of the survivors said.

The fires in central Portugal left 62 dead, many of them inside their
cars as they tried to flee.Numerous fires were still raging on several
fronts, stretching Portugal's civil protection force to its limits. Outbreaks
were reported in two more central regions, Castelo Branco and Coimbra.

'Let me die on the floor'

Maria do Céu Silva was hailed as a hero after using her house's water
tank to rescue the residents of Nodeirinho, next to the IC8 motorway,
which was badly hit by the fire.

read more.....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40324006

[Jay Freeman]

Posted by AutumnW (here)

No such thing as global warming??? Proof positive is all around us.

Global warming, yes. Man-made global warming, perhaps not.

[Cidersomerset]

Portugal: Forest Fires (19 June 2017)

from International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Published on 19 Jun 2017



http://reliefweb.int/map/portugal/po...s-19-june-2017

[Cidersomerset]

Portugal Forest Fires: At Least 61 Dead In Nation’s Worst Fire In Decades | NBC Nightly News

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=F4F4BU-wYvs

Published on 19 Jun 2017
Portugal declared three days of national mourning on Sunday as Portuguese Prime
Minister Antonio Costa called the disaster "the biggest tragedy of human life that
we have known in years."

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Phys.org - News and articles...

Portugal, a country helplessly prone to forest fires

June 19, 2017 by Barry Hatton And Ciaran Giles


As the temperature began to soar across the Iberian peninsula last week, everyone
knew it was only a matter of time before fires started—they've become a summer
fixture. But this time they came with a vengeance, one in Pedrogao Grande in north
central Portugal killing 62 people—the country's worst forest fire tragedy on record.

Here's a look at why Portugal seems helplessly prone to the phenomenon and what
lessons it might be able to learn.

readmore...
https://phys.org/news/2017-06-portug...ne-forest.html

British citizen Daniel Starling walks among the debris of his burnt house in the
village of Figueira, near Pedrogao Grande, central Portugal, Monday, June 19 2017.
Raging forest fires in central Portugal killed tens of people, many of them trapped
in their cars as flames swept over roads Saturday evening. (AP Photo/Armando Franca),
https://phys.org/news/2017-06-portug...ne-forest.html

[Cidersomerset]

Portugal fire: Soaring temperatures threaten firefighting effort

1 hour ago
From the section Europe

Reuters

Many people have lost their homes to the flames

Soaring temperatures threaten efforts to bring a raging forest fire in
Portugal under control, officials say.The week's highest temperatures
of around 38C (100F) are expected on Tuesday and together with windy
conditions could reignite fires already quelled.Civil protection officials
say although 70% of the fire is under control, what remains is a source
"of great concern".

At least 64 people have died in the fires since Saturday.

The latest of the victims was identified as a 40-year-old firefighter
who died in hospital.Many died inside their cars or a short distance away
from them as they tried to flee. More than 130 other people have been injured.

The government has declared a state of emergency in the forested region
around Pedrógão Grande, north-east of the capital, Lisbon.Civil Protection
commander Elisio Oliveira said there was great concern for the fires still
burning. He described the operation as "complex" and said many residents
were being forced to evacuate.More than 1,000 firefighters are tackling the
blaze which continues to rage on several fronts.

read more..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40336622