Wildfires raging across Portugal in August should be a reason not to buy there tours and holidays in this country. If all-round national forces are involved in the fight against the flames, then tourists will definitely not have time for vacations at local resorts, experts in the Portuguese media say.
To date, it is known that almost all coastal countries of Europe have experienced wildfires this summer season, and July was the hottest in the region on record. The fire also reached Portugal. Last week, three fires broke out there, one of which is in the resort town of Odemira – it is considered the largest. Over the weekend, the fire spread from there to Alcanforadoin and Faro. As a result of the rescue operation, 1,400 people, including tourists, were taken out of the region. Almost 1,000 specialists, 320 vehicles and 9 aircraft were involved in the efforts to extinguish the fire – the flames covered a total of 7 thousand hectares.
“Two critical points remain: one in the north, in the area of Defeira, which is of great concern, and also in the south, in Monchique,” explained José Ribeiro, Regional Commander for Emergency and Civil Protection of Alentejo.
How experts noted that forest fires in Portugal and Europe began due to extreme weather conditions, and smoke and fire are visible even from space.
Let's give some data on which countries located in southern Europe and the north Africa, now it is dangerous to rest because of the threat of extensive forest fires:
- Neighboring Portugal along the peninsula Spainalso fights forest fires, but she manages to better deal with this threat. Nevertheless, the risk of danger is great.
- Greece. A forest fire on the islands of Rhodes led to tragic consequences: two people died, parts of the islands were completely burned out. The country has survived the evacuation of thousands of residents and the early sending of tourists home to save their lives.
- Italy. Forest fire in Sicily has claimed the lives of three people and the evacuation of thousands of people. The fire also caused the temporary closure of Palermo airport due to smoke.
- France. Forest fires also broke out near Nice Airport, affecting the lands of three villages.
Croatia also suffered from forest fires. - Algeria and Tunisia. North African countries are also on fire. It is known that 40 people died as a result of the fire. As you can see, the problem of forest fires has gone beyond Europe.
After analyzing the data, experts recommended that tourists not buy tours from regions engulfed in fire. However, for those who still want to take the risk and go there, they advised to buy travel insurance, which will protect against unforeseen expenses associated with fires and natural disasters. It will also provide a refund option for medical emergencies, cancellations, or lost items.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “From poor sleep to thinning hair and brittle nails: 7 signs of shortage named in the protein body.