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Firefighter injured in Portugal blaze as crew flees wall of fire
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
A firefighter was severely burned in Portugal's wildfires, which have devastated 274,000 hectares. This marks the worst wildfire year since 2017.
LISBON (Reuters) -A Portuguese firefighter suffered severe burns on Thursday in one of the wildfires ravaging central and northern parts of the country when the blaze suddenly changed direction and engulfed his fire engine, the civil protection authority said.
A video posted online showed at least three firefighters in the Valverde area running away from rapidly advancing flames, fanned by gusts of wind, and leaving their vehicle behind. The next moment, a wall of fire completely shrouded the vehicle.
A medical helicopter was on the spot attending to the victim, whom authorities identified as the driver of the truck.
At least three people have been killed in Portugal's wildfires over the past week. The blazes have burned 274,000 hectares (677,000 acres) of vegetation, according to estimates by the European Forest Fire Information System, nearly triple the annual average in 2006-2024.
It has been the most severe year for forest fires in the Iberian country since 2017, when two huge blazes months apart killed more than 100 people in central Portugal.
Most of Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades. Portugal's neighbour Spain is also still struggling to put out several large blazes in western and northern parts of the country after a 16-day heatwave that ended on Monday.
Spain's estimated burned area has exceeded 400,000 ha and is the largest on record going back to 2006.
(Reporting by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that spreads rapidly, often fueled by dry vegetation and weather conditions. It can cause significant damage to ecosystems, property, and human life.
Emergency response refers to the organized approach to addressing and managing the immediate aftermath of a disaster or crisis, ensuring safety and providing assistance to affected individuals.
Wildfires can lead to the destruction of habitats, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion. They also release significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
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