Drone shots of wildfire damage in Portugal

Firefighters and local volunteers struggled to contain wildfires in northern parts of Portugal. But earlier in the week, one of the fires of most concern was in Palmela, a town on the outskirts of Lisbon.

The drone footage showed part of the impact of the fire on the natural park of Arrábida, one of the country’s most important protected areas. The exact extent of the damage has yet to be determined.

Despite the fact that temperatures have started to decrease in Portugal, the maximum values remain still very high and close to 40 degrees Celsius in some inland regions. Portugal has been particularly hard hit by wildfires this past week.

More than 3,000 firefighters battled this week alongside ordinary Portuguese citizens desperate to save their homes from several wildfires that raged across the country, fanned by extreme temperatures and drought conditions.