Fires Kills 14 People, Devastate 54,000 Hectares of Forests in Portugal

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 07, 2003

Fires Kills 14 People, Devastate 54,000 Hectares of Forests in Portugal

The wildfires in Portugal have killed 14 people and destroyed 54,000 hectares of forests, the Forestry Department said Wednesday.

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The wildfires in Portugal have killed 14 people and destroyed 54,000 hectares of forests, the Forestry Department said Wednesday.

The government declared a state of national disaster emergency Monday as the fires raged on. The situation has been made worse bya deadly heat wave, which pushed the temperatures to above 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Portuguese President Jorge. Fernando de Sampaio said during a tour of the worst-hit areas that the government would see to it that more resources are put into the battle against the fires.

More than 3,000 firefighters and 2,000 troops have been battling the fires, supported by some 700 vehicles and 40 aircraft.

Several countries of the European Union including Germany, Italy and Spain have sent aircraft to help fight the fires in recent days. Morocco has also provided four aircraft to Portugal for the same purpose.

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