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Numerous wildfires are currently raging in Portugal and NW Spain
There are approximately 440 ongoing fires in Portugal
The fires in Galicia may merge into a single large fire
warns regional government president Alberto Nunez Feijoo
Fatalities have been reported in both countries
The fires are fueled by very dry vegetation
result of a very dry spring and summer and strong winds
Arson is likely playing a significant role too
We have received numerous reports from our readers
We welcome further reports on this very serious situation
The horizon is filled with thick black smoke from big fires in Vieira de Leiria
Massive black smoke plumes over fires in Vieira de Leiria
Black smoke billowing from the blaze in Marinha Grande
A view one does not want to see (Região de Leiria
Black smoke over the blaze in Vieira de Leiria
Spectacular view of very large pyrocumulus from the fires in Portugal
Ophelia makes landfall in S Ireland with storm to hurricane force winds – update (12:00 UTC)
Sun in parts of UK and France blocked out the smoke from wildfires in Spain and Portugal
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A firefighter from the Spanish military emergency unit battles with flames in Vilamarin in Galicia, Spain on Oct. 14.
The Portuguese minister in charge of emergency services resigned Wednesday after 106 people were killed in unprecedented wildfires this year in the Iberian nation.
The European Union's Emergency Management Service, meanwhile, says the area burned by wildfires this year in Portugal is the largest on record for the nation, more than six times the annual average for the last eight years.
A man attempts to subdue wildfire flames in Vigo, northwestern Spain on Oct. 15.
Flames threaten a small chapel in Moinhos village, Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 15.
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Moinhos, Portugal on Oct. 15.
Portuguese authorities reported that almost all major wildfires were out by Tuesday morning. Some 2,700 firefighters were deployed to prevent re-ignitions in the country's smoldering forests.
A house burns in Moinhos village, Portugal on Oct. 15.
A resident fights a wildfire in Vila Nova de Poiares, Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 15.
Emergency services battle a forest fire in Chandebrito village, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 15.
A wild horse grazes close to a forest fire in Cures parish, in Boiro, Galicia on Oct. 15.
A firefighter kneels on the ground during a fire in Vila Nova de Poiares, Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 15.
A villager checks a burnt area in Soutomaior in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16.
A burnt sculpture is seen in As Neves, Galicia near the border with Portugal on Oct. 16.
A man fights a wildfire in Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, central Portugal on Oct. 16.
Investigations were underway to find the cause of the late-season wave of hundreds of forest fires, which Iberian officials blamed mostly on arsonists and freak weather conditions. Temperatures on the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 86 Fahrenheit over the weekend and the area was raked by high winds as Hurricane Ophelia churned past in the Atlantic.
Residents hold their pets as a wildfire moves toward their houses in As Neves, Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16.
A woman covers her face to protect herself from the smoke as fires burn in As Neves, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16.
Smoke rises from a wildfire close to a house in Nigran, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16.
A firefighter stares out at flames from a forest fire in Cabanoes, near Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 16.
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire in Cabanoes near Louzan in Portugal on Oct. 16.
Men gather cattle during a forest fire in Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal on Oct. 16.
Burnt vehicles sit in a garage in Miro, near Penacova, Portugal on Oct. 17.
Farmers walk their livestock on a mountain road past burnt vegetation in San Martin de Cereixedo, Cervantes, Galicia, northern Spain on Oct. 17.
A property is burnt in the village of Travanca do Mondego in the Coimbra region of Portugal on Oct. 17, 2017.
A woman walks through the burnt forest in Vila Nova, near Vouzela, Portugal on Oct. 17.
A tree burns near Vouzela in the Viseu region of Portugal on Oct. 17.
winds help quell deadly wildfires in Spain and Portugal that killed 36At least 36 people have died in fires ravaging forests in northern and central Portugal over the past 24 hours
after three people were killed in Spain in blazes sparked by arsonists and fanned by Hurricane Ophelia.A man fights with a forest fire in Vieira de Leiria
Spain gives Catalans till Thursday to clarify independence stance
How Spain could impose direct rule over Catalonia
4 min readPublished 17 October 2017 4:24am
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Portuguese government says most of the fires that have destroyed homes and businesses across Iberia were started deliberately
At least 32 people including a one-month-old baby have been killed in northern Portugal and Spain
where hundreds of wildfires have forced residents to flee from towns and villages
Portugal’s national civil protection authority said the infant had been missing after a wildfire near Tabua
Seven people were missing and 56 people were injured – 16 of them seriously
The death toll in Portugal, where a huge fire killed 64 people in June, is likely to rise. The government declared a state of emergency for regions north of the Tagus river after Sunday was described as “the worst day of the year in terms of forest fires” by the civil protection spokeswoman Patricia Gaspar.
Read moreMore than 6,000 firefighters were battling more than 500 wildfires on Sunday – the highest number of fires in a single day for more than 10 years
Portugal has asked for help from its European partners and Morocco
Portugal’s secretary of state of internal administration
The bodies of two of the three victims in Spain
were found by firemen inside a burnt-out car on a road in the north-western region of Galicia
View image in fullscreenMen gather cattle during a forest fire in Vieira de Leiria
Photograph: Ricardo Graca/EPAThe fires were fanned by strong winds as remnants of Hurricane Ophelia brushed the Iberian coast
They spread quickly over the weekend across a landscape left tinder dry by a hot summer
Some blazes in Galicia remained out of control on Monday
said 15 of the fires posed a risk to towns and that 90% of forest fires each year in Galicia were started intentionally
He told reporters: “All of Galicia is weeping this morning for our razed hills
but especially for the loss of human lives.”
said some of those responsible had already been identified
They could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted
The country’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, who is from Galicia, said he was returning to the region to see the emergency co-ordination effort for himself. “I’m heading to Galicia,” he tweeted on Monday morning
“Solidarity from all of Spain and prompt coordination to combat the fire and assist people.”
while at least 20 planes joined 350 firefighting units in tackling the fires
Light rainfall early in the day was expected to help extinguish the flames
an independent investigation into Portugal’s June wildfires found that authorities failed to evacuate villages in time
The fires destroyed about 29,000 hectares (72,000 acres) of land
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18 Oct 2017DUST from the Sahara desert and ash from wilfires in Spain and Portugal have been blamed for turning the sky yellow and the sun red
Here's what you need to know about the spectacular phenomenon — and the deadly risk for some
Britain was plunged into near-darkness on Monday (October 16) with an eerie yellow glow shrouding much of the UK as the sun turned blood red
Experts said the effect was caused by dust sucked up from the Sahara desert in North Africa
The fine particles scatter light of blue wavelengths more than red
Grahame Madge of the Met Office said on Monday: "It's a very similar effect to what you get at sunset
"There’s more red light coming through and blue light gets scattered leaving more of the red light to come through so that's what is causing the effect
"It's certainly spectacular at the moment and quite a talking point
We've had a lot of calls about it."
The Saharan dust was blown across Britain by winds at the edge of ex-hurricane Ophelia, which battered the UK and Ireland leaving a £700million clean-up bill
Some people claimed the warm southerly wind had brought smells of flowers and sandalwood with it
But the dust in the atmosphere also posed a deadly risk to asthma sufferers
Sonia Munde of Asthma UK told The Sun Online: "We are deeply concerned about the Saharan dust that Hurricane Ophelia has churned up
as this could pose a severe risk for the 5.4 million people in the UK who have asthma
"Winds picking up dust and particles in the air could trigger potentially fatal asthma attacks
"We urge anyone with severe asthma to check weather forecasts and stay indoors where possible."
The charity said asthma sufferers should make sure they take their reliever inhaler (usually blue) everywhere with them and continue to manage their asthma with their preventer inhaler (usually brown)
Raging forest fires have killed at least 41 people in Portugal and four in Spain in recent days
Ash rises into the air and mixes into the atmosphere
Weather forecasters have warned this could trigger the same effect as the Saharan dust if the tail-end of Ophelia blows it northwards over Britain
If the conditions are right, we could expect to see a repeat of the red sun and yelow sky of two days ago
Met Office meteorologist Emma Sharples told Sun Online on Tuesday: "There's a chance that if there are still fires burning in Iberia then we could see the same thing happen
"This will depend on whether the fires are still burning and if the winds are blowing in this direction - but there is a chance we could see a bit of a red tinge to the sun tomorrow."
The British Lung Foundation said dust swept up from the Continent can cause higher than normal pollution levels
A spokeswoman told The Sun Online: “These dust episodes can be serious for someone with a lung condition."
Some UK-bound aircraft were diverted after passengers reported a smell of burning in the cabins
An Atlantic storm formerly called Hurricane Ophelia smashed into Ireland with winds of up to 80mph, downing trees and leaving 120,000 without power
Ophelia then lashed Western parts of the UK exactly 30 years after the Great Storm of 1987 killed 18 people.
Weathermen said the storm has sucked warm air from the south and a lack of rain meant the dust was not washed out as it otherwise might have been.
Forecaster Mr Madge said on Monday: "It's all connected with Ophelia. On the eastern side of the low-pressure system air is coming up in the southerly direction.
"Air is being pulled from southern Europe and Africa and that air contains a lot of dust."
"So it's most likely the appearance of sunset at midday is caused by the particles scattering the light and giving the appearance of a red sun."
Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/
THIS astonishing picture appears to shows apocalyptic wildfires raging over Portugal.
A blaze over Vieira de Leiria shows a sky blackened by smoke with a flash of light coursing through.
The country began three days of national mourning today over its 41 wildfire deaths amid widespread public anger.
Pressure is growing on the government to explain why officials failed to prevent the tragedy that came just four months after 64 others died in another fast-moving blaze.
Rain and lower temperatures on Tuesday helped emergency teams in Portugal and Spain bring under control most of the fires that raged over the weekend.
In Galicia, in northwest Spain, four people died.
Portuguese authorities reported that almost all major wildfires were out by Tuesday morning. Some 2,700 firefighters were deployed to prevent re-ignitions in the country's smouldering forests.
Investigations were underway to find the cause of the late-season wave of hundreds of forest fires, which Iberian officials blamed mostly on arsonists and freak weather conditions.
Temperatures on the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 30 C over the weekend and the area was raked by high winds as Hurricane Ophelia churned past in the Atlantic.
"We are ready to extinguish fires, but we are not ready for arsonists," Spanish Environment and Agriculture Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina told public broadcaster TVE.
In Portugal, opposition parties rebuked the government for what they called a lack of preparedness.
The Civil Protection Agency's full fire-fighting contingent operates only during the traditional peak wildfire season, which runs from July 1 to Sept. 30.
In October, its fire-fighting assets are reduced by half.
Critics say the state of readiness must be more flexible, especially when Portugal is gripped by drought and its weather patterns are affected by climate change.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who has rejected calls for members of his government to resign over the fire deaths, called a special meeting of his Cabinet for next Saturday to discuss fire-fighting measures.
"This is not a time for resignations, this is a time for solutions," Costa said.
But public outrage is simmering. Local governments in the worst-hit areas, aided by a social media campaign, are organizing silent street protests in Lisbon and in their own towns and cities to coincide with the Cabinet meeting.
In Galician towns on Monday, angry residents chanted "Never again!" to protest the deadly wildfires.
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no final da d�cada de 1860 e acompanha a hist�ria da paix�o proibida entre Amaro
e Am�lia "a rapariga mais bonita de Leiria"
emocional e ancorada em conflitos de personalidade
a s�rie "O Crime do Padre Amaro" lan�a um olhar cr�tico sobre a sociedade e a igreja em Portugal