Portugal has been plagued by searing temperatures and a spate of fires for several days. More than 900 firefighters were deployed to fight the fire.
Article written by
Published on 07/15/2022 23:42
Reading time: 1 min
A water bomber fighting forest fires in Portugal crashed near Vila Nova de Foz Coa in the Guarda region of the north of the country in the early evening of July 15. The accident caused the death of the pilot, his only occupant, civil defense said.
The aircraft was a medium-sized FireBoss aircraft. “It is with great dismay that I learned of the death of the pilot of the plane that crashed while fighting the fire,” Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in a statement Twitter.
Foi com grande consternação que tomei conhecimento do falecimento do piloto que operava uma aeronave que caiu esta tarde no combate ao incêndio em Torre de Moncorvo.
Endereço as mais sentidas condolences to family and friends.— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) July 15, 2022
In that country, which has been plagued by scorching temperatures and a spate of fires for a week, emergency services identified a dozen active blazes Friday night, mobilizing more than 900 firefighters. In northern Portugal, one of the most worrying fires raged in the municipality of Baiao, a hilly area in the Porto region, upstream of the great Douro River that crosses it.