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Fires rage out of control across Portugal
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-08-23 09:07

A 40-year-old man taking part in the struggle to beat back the flames near Vila Nova de Poiares in the north was killed when a firetruck backed over him, police said, bringing to 14 the number of people killed in this year's blazes.

Italian, French and Portuguese Civil Protection Canadair aeroplanes line up to refill at Castelo de Bode dam to drop water over the fire approaching Aldeia de Mato village, 160km(100 miles) north of Lisbon in central Portugal. [AP]

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who on Sunday visited areas affected by fires in his native Portugal where he is on holiday, praised the aid offered by EU nations to Portugal.

"We are all very impressed by the size of this problem. But it is with satisfaction that we watch European solidarity once more at work," he told reporters in northern Portugal.

The fast-moving wildfires had already charred at least 12 homes on the outskirts of Coimbra, located some 200 kilometres (125 northeast) of Lisbon. With a change in wind direction, Coimbra itself was no longer threatened by the flames, but firefighters were on guard against the possibility of flare-ups in the charred areas near the city.

Two firefighters try to put out a forest fire in the outskirts of Viana do Castelo city in northern Portugal August 22, 2005. France, Germany, Italy and Spain offered Portugal help to battle forest fires raging across the country on Sunday after Lisbon made a request to the EU's executive Commission, officials and local media said. [Reuters]

Sunday to Monday "was a terrible night for the people of the city and for everyone involved in fighting the fire," the governor of the district of Coimbra, Henrique Fernandes, told state television RTP.

Forecasters meanwhile predicted temperatures would soar above a scorching 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) in some areas, raising the risk of new fires, and remain high until at least Wednesday.

Emergency workers were evacuating residents from a village near Coimbra because of the threat from thick smoke and advancing flames, TSF reported.

Police said at least five roads in the centre and north of the country were closed.

Speaking on French radio, Interior Minister Antonio Costa said meanwhile that Europe should combine its resources in fighting fires, notably by jointly building specialized water-bombing aircraft.

"It is essential to pool our resources because we have fires in Portugal, but tomorrow there could be others in Spain, in Italy, in Greece," Costa told French radio station Europe 1.

His comments echoed those of French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who on Sunday also called for the EU to set up a joint firefighting force.

In Portugal, the fires have destroyed 134,500 hectares (332,000 acres) of land so far this year -- more than in all of 2004.

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