On that fateful Saturday one fireman lost his life, the
second fireman to be killed on duty this year. An
estimated 3,677 firemen and 1,033 vehicles were called
out to tackle the various blazes, in which 382 people
were injured.
Despite being less than a month away from the
official winter season, the fires are said to have been
their hottest ever, worsened by the dry weather and
unusually hot weather conditions for the time of year.
Even though less forestry was destroyed than during
summer, the government has reiterated its decision to
extend the additional fire-fighting measures intended
for rural summer fires throughout the winter.
This included assigning four extra helicopters, one
of which crashed whilst being used during last weekend's
fires, in Melgaço, Viana do Castelo, tragically killing
the pilot.
Two separate inquests, by the National Civil Aviation
Institute and the Home Office's board of internal
affairs, are being carried out to determine the cause of
the incident.