Portugal observes day of national mourning after seven die in fires

Portugal has declared a day of national mourning to mark the deaths of seven who died in wildfires that have burned through the country’s west coast.

According to official figures, there were five fatalities and 161 injured, 12 of them seriously. Civil Protection has registered five deaths, excluding two civilians who died of sudden illness linked to the fires.

Three firefighters who were tackling the blazes were among those killed.

Although the fires have largely died down, two are ongoing in Castro Daire where more than 2,400 firefighters have been mobilised.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro declared a state of calamity for the hardest-hit areas on Tuesday evening, and invoked powers to mobilise more firefighters and civil servants.

He also called on police investigators to redouble their efforts to find those who started the fires and pledged help for those who have lost their homes or have been evacuated.

“We are well aware that these difficult hours are not over yet,” Montenegro told the nation in a televised address. “We have to continue to give everything we have and ask for help from our partners and friends so that we can reinforce the protection of our people and property.”

According to the European Copernicus satellite system, the area burnt in mainland Portugal is over 121,000 hectares. In the north and centre, more than 100,000 hectares have burnt, which corresponds to 83 per cent of the entire burnt area.

“Good practice advises against unnecessary interventions”

Portugal’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Margarida Blasco, has now spoken about the fires, following five days of silence. The politician announced there will be a report on the situation which will analyse potential errors in the government’s response to the fires.

“When we’ve taken stock of the situation, we’ll do the report and, as always, we’ll understand and we’ll be at your disposal to clarify whether or not there were faults, if everything went well, but that also has its time,” Blasco said.

The Minister of Internal Affairs also justified her silence over the last few days, claiming she had followed the advice of authorities.

“Good practice advises that there should be no unnecessary interventions in the field of operations, nor inappropriate interventions and presences,” she said.