More than 163,000 hectares of Portugal's forest have burned this year, three times more than usual, prompting the government to declare parts of the country in a "state of public calamity". On Thursday, over 130 people were evacuated from villages in the Santarem district around 170 km (110 miles) northeast of Lisbon, where over 1,000 firefighters were battling flames. The fires are also threatening Europe's largest remaining forest, which is home to endangered species such as orangutans, tigers, bears and elephants.
More than 163,000 hectares of Portugal's forest have burned this year, three times more than usual, prompting the government to declare parts of the country in a "state of public calamity". The fires are also threatening Europe's largest remaining forest, which is home to endangered species such as orangutans, tigers, bears and elephants.