Wildfires and smoke in Portugal
Image credit: TW
Dozens of wildfires burned across Portugal on October 14, 2011 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite captured this true-color image as it passed over the region. A few fires, marked in red and accompanied by plumes of gray smoke can also be seen to the north, in Spain.
A hot, dry summer brought a strong fire season to Portugal in 2011. On October 22, Mail Online News reported 16 deaths in the last two weeks, as record numbers of blazes burned the country. They also reported active fires also were found in the Algarve region in southern Portugal, where almost 500 firefighters and 240 soldiers worked to contain the blazes.
Wildfires have reportedly burned a record 215,000 hectares (531,000 acres) in 2011. The government announced a national disaster in some areas. (MODIS)
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