FOZ DO CANEIRO, Portugal - Water-dumping aircraft from around Europe battled to help drought-hit Portugal contain raging forest fires that have killed at least 14 people.
France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands have sent helicopters or planes to help douse the flames since the Portuguese government called for assistance from
the European Union at the weekend, the national fire service said.
About 2300 firefighters fought a dozen blazes in central and northern Portugal in one of the worst forest fire seasons in decades, the fire service said.
The worst blaze was near the ancient university city of Coimbra, about 180km north of Lisbon, where hundreds of firefighters were in action.
Fires broke out in the city on Monday, burning cars and much of a city forest.
In Foz do Caneiro, a red-roofed village east of Coimbra, worried residents watched as two helicopters hovered over the Mondego River to collect water, then roared off to battle nearby fires.
"It was an inferno here yesterday, we were surrounded by fire. We're still scared that the fires will flare up again and reach us," Dorinda Veiga, a middle-aged woman, told Reuters.
Fanned by strong winds, flames had leapt across the Mondego and both sides of the riverbank were charred. Most of the fires in the area had been put out in the last 12 hours, residents said.
South of Coimbra, three German Puma helicopters went into action near Miranda do Corvo, private TSF radio said in a report from the scene.
Lusa news agency reported that least 14 people had died during forest fires this year, including 10 firefighters.
One civilian was killed on Monday when he was struck by a fire truck while helping tackle a blaze.
Firefighters also found the burnt body of an elderly woman but it was unclear if the flames had killed her, Lusa said.
The forest service estimated last week that about 134,500ha had burned this year, well above the full-year average since 1980.
Companies and government officials say it is too early to estimate the financial cost of the fires, which have destroyed dozens of homes and damaged hundreds of farms.
The Agriculture Ministry said the damage was not bad enough for Portugal to draw on the EU Solidarity Fund, used in cases of natural disaster. For access damage must top euro3 billion 3 ($5.35 billion) or 0.6 per cent of gross domestic product, about euro800 million.
- REUTERS
