Portugal: The largest wildfire in its history finally controlled, nearly 1,000 firefighters still deployed

In central Portugal, nearly 1,000 firefighters remained deployed this Monday to prevent any rekindling of the flames after a massive forest fire was brought under control the previous day.

The blaze, which lasted for 11 days, affected seven municipalities at the junction of the districts of Coimbra, Guarda, and Castelo Branco, destroying a total of 64,451 hectares of vegetation, according to the latest data.

Authorities have indicated that the fire was caused by lightning strikes in a hard-to-access area, complicating initial response efforts. Although there is no longer a risk of propagation, the alert remains in effect: 963 firefighters and 300 vehicles are still on-site for surveillance and security operations.

According to the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), this is the largest recorded fire in Portugal’s history, surpassing the previous record set in October 2017, when a single fire ravaged 53,000 hectares.