The BBC is reporting that 25 people have been killed in wildfires in central Portugal. Several firefighters are reported to be among about 20 people injured.
Most of the fatalities occurred while attempting to flee in their cars from the Pedrógão Grande area about 30 miles southeast of Coimbra.
From the BBC:
Secretary of State for the Interior Jorge Gomes earlier said that three people died from smoke inhalation and 16 died in their cars on the road linking Figueiró dos Vinhos to Castanheira de Pera.
About 60 forest fires broke out across the country overnight, with 1,700 firefighters working to put them out. The flames spread “with great violence” on four fronts, Mr Gomes said.
Spain has sent two water-bombing planes to help tackle the fires.
Portugal has been experiencing dry thunderstorms and temperatures well above 100F in recent days.
Map showing the location of wildfires west of Pedrógão Grande in Portugal. Click to enlarge.
Above: the Lake Fire burns near a dozer line near Castaic Lake in Southern California. Screen grab from Los Angeles County Fire Department video.
(Originally published at 11:01 p.m. PDT June 17, 2017)
Firefighters in Southern California are battling a wildfire that started east of Interstate 5 near Castaic Lake north of Santa Clarita. As the sun was setting Saturday evening firefighters estimated that it had burned at least 1,000 acres, spreading from County land near the lake into the Angeles National Forest .
The fire was first reported at about 2 p.m. PDT on Saturday. Two small outbuildings were reportedly destroyed.
Some firefighters were transported across the lake in boats, according to the Angeles National Forest.
Map showing the approximate location of the Lake Fire north of Castaic Lake in Southern California, Jun e17, 2017.Lake Fire, June 17, 2017. Los Angeles County FD photo.
Above: A 3-D map of the Cajete Fire in northern New Mexico. The red line was the perimeter at 10 p.m. MDT June 16, 2017. The white line was from about 20 hours earlier.
(UPDATED at 11:54 a.m. MDT June 17, 2017)
The Cajete Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest doubled in size on Friday, increasing to 1,325 acres. The fire has burned on both sides of Highway 4 in the Santa Fe National Forest 7 miles northeast of Jemez Springs and 12 miles west of Los Alamos in northern New Mexico.
The fire is spreading mostly through timber. Yesterday the southeast portion moved into the footprint of the Las Conchas Fire that burned 63 structures and 156,000 acres in 2011. It is likely that in the six-year old fire scar there will be less resistance to control.
Officials believe the fire started approximately one mile northeast of Vallecitos de los Indios but have not yet released a cause. The burned area runs along the East Fork of the Jemez River.
Approximately 70 structures are threatened, many of which have been evacuated, including a lookout tower.
On Friday the fire ran up a slope south of Highway 4, from 8,300 feet above sea level to about 9,300 feet.
On Friday the firefighting resources assigned included about 150 personnel, multiple engines, one bulldozer, four helicopters (including a rappel ship), five air tankers, and two air attack platforms.
As this was written at 11:50 a.m. MDT on June 17, a C-130Q air tanker had just departed the fire after presumably dropping a load of fire retardant. See the map below.
A C-130Q air tanker departs the Cajete Fire at 11:50 a.m. MDT June 17, 2017.
Mark von Tillow’s Type 1 Incident Management Team from California assumed command at 7 a.m. on Saturday, taking over from a Type 3 Team. The official strategy of the team is to fully suppress the fire.
Map showing the location of the Bonita and Cajete Fires north of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The map above is a forecast for the distribution of smoke from wildfires currently burning in the Southwest United States for 5 p.m. MDT June 16, 2017.
The Bonita Fire continues to burn in the Carson National Forest.
Above: Map showing the location of the Cajete Fire in northern New Mexico at 2:04 a.m. MDT June 16, 2017.
The Cajete Fire in northern New Mexico grew quickly after it was reported on Thursday, burning about 660 acres in the first burning period along the southern boundary of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The fire has burned on both sides of Highway 4 in the Santa Fe National Forest 7 miles northeast of Jemez Springs and 12 miles west of Los Alamos.
It burned intensely Thursday to the east creating spot fires more than 600 feet ahead of the main fire.
On Thursday approximately 200 people were evacuated from the communities of Los Griegos, Sierra de los Pinos, and the Ruby Holt Plat.
California’s Interagency Incident Management Team #3, a Type 1 team led by Mark von Tillow, was dispatched to the fire Thursday after being staged in Mesa, Arizona. The strategy on the fire is full suppression.
Map showing the location of the Cajete and Bonita Fires in northern New Mexico, June 16, 2017.
Steve Bassett constructed the map below showing that the Cajeta Fire is partially hemmed in by several large fires that occurred between 2005 and 2016 — the Thompson Ridge, Valle, Big Hat, and Las Conchas Fires. It is possible that if it burns into those fire scars the rate of spread will decrease.
The Bonita Fire farther to the north in the Carson National Forest has been burning since June 3 and has been very active today and yesterday, spreading across 4,170 acres. It is being managed in both full suppression and confine strategies, depending on the location. It is 4 miles south of highway 64, 9 miles west of Highway 285, and 9 miles southwest of Tres Piedras.
The smoke plume from both the Bonita and Cajeta Fires can be clearly seen in the satellite image above.
An RJ85 drops on the Cajete Fire, June 15, 2017. It appears to be AeroFlite’s Tanker 163. Screen grab from KRQE video.
