Forest fires have cut off a village of 2,000 people in Portugal, as firefighters struggled to control two major blazes in the centre of the country.
“It’s impossible to leave or to enter Mação because of the flames and the smoke,” Vasco Estrela, the mayor of Mação village, told the Lusa news agency.
The fire, which broke out on Tuesday evening, grew stronger through Wednesday and by the small hours of Thursday morning had surrounded the village, he said, adding: “The fire is continuing unabated.”
A major fire had destroyed 80-90% of the village at the end of July, he pointed out.
The emergency services have had to evacuate about 130 people from nearby villages, said Patrícia Gaspar, spokeswoman for Portugal’s civil protection agency (ANPC).
But firefighters were most worried about the fires around Mação which were continuing to advance on several fronts, she added.
Source: Wildfires trap 2,000 people in village in central Portugal | World news | The Guardian
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