A wildfire strikes in Castelo Branco, Portugal
On the afternoon of 4 August 2023, a devastating wildfire started in Castelo Branco (#IRCasteloBranco), Portugal, rapidly engulfing more than 6,000 hectares of vegetation.
Over 1,100 firefighters and 14 water-carrying aircraft are tirelessly responding to the emergency. However, according to the local Civil Protection Authorities, the challenging combination of hot and windy conditions may prolong containment efforts to contain the fire for several days.
The intensity of the blaze created a massive smoke plume, spanning more than 500 kilometres west over the Atlantic Ocean, as visible in this image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 5 August-.
In response to the wildfires, the Rapid Mapping module of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service has been activated. Further information is available here.
