This fire, which broke out on August 6 on the outskirts of Covilha in central Portugal, has destroyed unique forests of this Unesco-recognized global geopark located in the heart of the Serra da Estrella massif.
The fire that has broken out in the national forest Serra da Estrella in Portugaland which had come under control last week, has flared up again, civil protection announced.
After being brought under control Friday night into Saturday, the fire reignited yesterday Monday night, according to the head of civil protection Andre Fernandez.
Many villages in the area have been evacuated as a precaution, he added.
The fire in Serra da Estrella, the worst that has occurred this summer in Portugal, has burned 150,000 hectares, according to the most recent, still preliminary figures, from the Portuguese authorities.
This fire, which broke out on August 6 on the outskirts of Covilha in central Portugal, has destroyed unique forests of this world geopark recognized by Unesco located in the heart of the Serra da Estrella massif.
At a time when the leadership of the civil protection is under criticism for the management of the fire, the Minister of the Interior of Portugal, José Luis Carneiro, pledged on Monday that an investigation would be carried out “on the structural causes” and “the method of dealing” with the fires “once the fire of Serra da Estrella”.
Portugal, which is experiencing an unprecedented drought this year, also had its warmest July in almost 100 years.
Since the start of the year, nearly 800,000 acres have been reduced to ash, the heaviest toll since the deadly wildfires of 2017 that left nearly 100 dead, according to the Forest and Nature Conservancy.
RES-EMP
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