Nearly a month after wildfires blazed on the Portuguese island of Madeira, more fires have broken out in mainland Portugal. Seven people have reportedly died so far in the fires, which are spreading between the northern district of Aveiro and Porto.
Understandably, those with a trip booked might be worried about whether visiting Portugal right now is safe. Here’s everything we know so far about the fires and the latest advice for UK and US travellers.
Where are the fires in Portugal?
The fires began to spread in the northern and central regions of Portugal on Monday, leading to several towns being evacuated. The northwestern Aveiro district is seeing the worst of the blaze, with fires reaching the outskirts of the town of Albergaria-a-Velha. Northern and central Portugal are at high risk of wildfires until at least Wednesday, according to the BBC.
A portion of the highway connecting Porto and Lisbon has been closed off, and several train lines in the north of the country are suspended. Around 5,300 firefighters are tackling the blaze.
What started the fires?
Despite a wet and rainy start to the summer season, meaning fewer recorded wildfires across Spain and Portugal compared to previous years, temperatures in Portugal reached 30C (86F) over the weekend, and fires spread across dry land and were fanned by strong winds.
Is it safe to travel?
Neither the UK government nor the US Department of State has advised against travelling to Portugal. If you have a trip booked near or in the region and want to cancel or postpone your travels, your best bet is to contact your trip provider to see what can be done.
The fires have not reached the south of the country, so those with trips booked to the Algarve should be fine. There haven’t been any reports of the fire reaching Lisbon, though the main highway between Porto and Lisbon has been closed.
Extreme weather in Europe
Extreme weather events and natural disasters have plagued Europe this summer. This week, central Europe experienced severe flooding as Storm Boris swept through countries including Austria, Poland, Czechia and Romania.
Three weeks ago, Lisbon and the surrounding region experienced a 5.3 magnitude earthquake.
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