Portugal fires - live: Fears of new wildfires as blistering 37C heat sparks warnings over extreme weather

Though the Odemira wildfire was tamed on Wednesday morning, 100 municipalities remain at maximum risk

Firefighters battle wildfires in Portugal as thousands forced to evacuate

Portuguese authorities fear new wildfires could spark as blistering 37C heat has provoked extreme weather warnings.

Yellow warnings - the lowest level on a three-tier scale - will remain in place across the Beja and Faro districts until 10 August at the minimum, with the Met Office anticipating that, on Friday, temperatures will reach highs of 37C across Faro in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

Vitor Vaz Pinto, regional commander of the emergency and civil protection authority (ANEPC), said on Wednesday the wildfire in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, was brought under control at 10.15am.

The wildfire started on Saturday, but high temperatures and strong winds hampered efforts by more than 1,000 firefighters and water-dousing planes to extinguish the flames, which destroyed some 8,400 hectares, according to preliminary data.

For now, firefighters, water-dousing planes and bulldozers being used to prevent the spread of the fire will remain on the ground and then gradually be demobilised, Vaz Pinto said.

Temperatures have now dropped along the Portuguese coast but remain high across the countryside, with around 100 municipalities remaining at maximum risk of wildfires.

The biggest blaze, in the northeast, burned about 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and required the evacuation of 150 people.

Key Points

• Portugal wildfire visible from space
• Wildfire tamed in southern Portugal, but authorities stay on alert
• Top rural hotel destroyed by wildfires
• Yellow warnings to remain in place across Beja and Faro districts until 10 August
• ‘Not much active flame’ in Odemira wildfire, regional commander says

[8 August 2023 23:16 · Andy Gregory]

Portugal weather forecast as wildfires spread to Algarve amid 46C heatwav

Tuesday’s heat in Odemira was expected to reach highs of 36C, with 30C predicted on Wednesday.

However, the forecast shows hope of respite elsewhere amidst the recent heat, with the Met Office forecasting highs of 29C across Lisbon and 27C in Faro on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, temperatures are also expected to dip to highs of 28C in Lisbon and Faro, with another uptick in temperature anticipated towards the end of the week. On Thursday and Friday, Lisbon is expected to reach highs of 31C and 32C, 32C and 33C in Faro.

My colleague Eleanor Noyce has more in this report:

[8 August 2023 22:32 · Andy Gregory]

Is it safe to travel to the Algarve right now?

Following wildfires near Cascais last month, Portugal is once again being hit by raging flames.

This time, blazes have broken out near the popular holiday region of the Algarve in southern Portugal. The fire started on Saturday 5 August in the Odemira area north of the Algarve, and since then has swept south.

If you’re booked to travel to Portugal, is it still safe to go? And what are your rights if you cancel a holiday? Here’s what we know so far.

Our travel editor Helen Coffey has this advice for holidaymakers:

[8 August 2023 22:00 · Stuti Mishra]

Wildfires in Portugal: Is it safe to travel to the Algarve right now?

Following wildfires near Cascais last month, Portugal is once again being hit by raging flames.

This time, blazes have broken out near the popular holiday region of the Algarve in southern Portugal.

If you’re booked to travel to Portugal, is it still safe to go? And what are your rights if you cancel a holiday? Here’s what we know so far.

[8 August 2023 21:52 · Andy Gregory]

Are Greece wildfires caused by climate change?

While the cause of the blazes in Rhodes last month have not officially been identified, local authorities have suggested at least some could have been the work of arsonists.

But climate science and fire risk specialists say it’s undeniable that rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves mean the fires in the Mediterranean country have spread faster and burned over larger areas.

My colleague Maanya Sachdeva reports:

[8 August 2023 20:26 · Andy Gregory]

Antarctica is missing an area of sea ice the size of Greenland — what’s going on?

While scorching temperatures are currently being recorded in the Iberian Peninsula, perhaps the most alarming global climate event is occurring on the far side of the world in Antarctica, where sea ice formation has hit a record low – and by a colossal margin.

It is now deep winter in the southern hemisphere; most of Antarctica is plunged into darkness for several months and the vast tracts of sea ice that fringe the continent’s coast are usually expanding out over the open ocean.

But this year, sea ice formation has dropped off a cliff. The continent is currently missing an area of ice larger than Greenland.

“It’s not just a record, it’s a ‘hit out of the ball park’ type thing,” says Caroline Holmes, a polar climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey. “It really is very different.”

Harry Cockburn has more in this long read:

[8 August 2023 19:33 · Andy Gregory]

Met Office says heat expected to ‘extend further north and east’

The UK’s Met Office has also issued information on the weather in Spain, Portugal and Africa as wildfires rage across some of Portugal’s most popular tourist hotspots.

“Temperatures have increased across Spain, Portugal and North Africa in recent days, widely into the mid 30s C, if not into the low to mid 40s C”, the national forecaster tweeted. “The heat is expected to extend further north and east by midweek, before temperatures return closer to average by the weekend.”

As of Monday, Portugal’s minister of internal administration confirmed that “for now” the government will not declare an alert.

[8 August 2023 18:37 · Andy Gregory]

Full report: Portugal wildfires see thousands of people evacuated amid 46C heatwave

Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in Portugal where 1,400 people have been evacuated in a 46C heatwave.

The wildfire started on Saturday in the Odemira region on the west coast but it has since spread south towards the tourist hotspot of the Algarve.

Nine have reportedly been injured as a result of the fire.

My colleague William Mata has the full report:

[8 August 2023 17:53 · Andy Gregory]

Millions stay indoors as Iberian Peninsula hit by heatwave and wildfires

Millions of people in parts of Portugal and Spain have opted to remain indoors on the second day of the heatwave sweeping the Iberian Peninsula.

In Portugal, authorities declared some 120 municipalities in the north and central areas of the country's interior, as well as in the popular holiday destination of Algarve in the south, at maximum risk of wildfires due to the scorching heat.

Weather agency IPMA also put three districts in the northeast on red alert for high temperatures.

On Monday, temperatures in the central towns of Portalegre and Santarem broke five-year local records at 42.1C and 46.4C, the latter just short of the national record of 47.3C set in August 2003.

In Lisbon, residents and tourists saw some respite as temperatures dropped to 31C from Monday's more than 41C, and were expected to remain around that level for the next few days. In Madrid, visitors waiting in line to enter the Prado museum were sprayed with water by employees.

[8 August 2023 17:12 · Andy Gregory]

Spanish wildfires largely brought under control

Spain is faring better with its wildfires this week despite the high temperatures of the country’s third heatwave this summer.

Officials said three fires that started over the weekend have been brought under control or had been extinguished Tuesday. The biggest blaze, in the northeast, burned about 1,500 acres and required the evacuation of 150 people.

The only fire still out of control in Spain is in the southwest near the Portuguese border. Some 20 people in two rural hostels were evacuated. Strong winds were reported to be complicating firefighting efforts.

Temperatures will continue to rise at least until Friday, with some areas of the southern Andalusia region hitting 44C, Spain’s weather agency said.

An unprecedented two-year drought has led to water restrictions in parts of Spain, and the country’s ecological transition ministry said on Tuesday that reservoirs nationally were at 41 per cent of their capacity owing to high temperatures and the severe lack of rain.

[8 August 2023 16:43 · William Mata]

More than 1,000 firefighters called upon

More than 1,000 firefighters are now said to be battling fires both in Portugal and over the border in Spain.

Three major fires raged in Portugal on Tuesday, with the biggest in the southwest near the town of Odemira, where on Monday about 1,400 people were evacuated from villages and a campsite as a precaution. They were gradually returning home on Tuesday.

The National Civil Protection Service said about 1,000 firefighters, 320 vehicles and nine aircraft were deployed at that fire on Tuesday. It has so far scorched around 17,300 acres.

(AFP via Getty Images)