there’s a wildfire burning since saturday in portugal, namely in pedrógão grande. the number of victims keeps rising. 64 dead so far, though it’s probable that some of the many missing people are gone as well. people tried to flee through the highway, only to be scorched to death inside their cars. many of them were on their way from spending the say at a fluvial beach.
about 7400 acres of of forest burned down. the wildfire is still going strong despite extensive firefighting efforts, national and from spain and france too.
i know portugal isn’t a very important country in the global scale of things but please don’t ignore this. people have lost their family and friends. what few cattle animals have survived are having health issues due to the smoke. villages have been devastated, homes have burned down. most of the population from these villages are elderly people, so the health danger is real for them. many of them refuse to leave their homes to the fire.
this is the greatest tragedy this country has faced in decades. please keep portugal in your thoughts and prayers.