Deadly wildfires raging in northern Portugal have released record emissions, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The blazes, which began on September 14, have caused a significant degradation of local air quality and are expected to continue impacting the region in the coming days.
The fires have generated the highest total estimated emissions for the month of September in 22 years of CAMS data, surpassing previous records in both carbon emissions and harmful particulate matter pollutants like PM10 and PM2.5. These pollutants pose serious health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and individuals with respiratory problems. PM2.5, composed of particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and potentially enter the bloodstream.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro declared a “state of calamity” for the hardest-hit areas on Tuesday. As of Wednesday, nearly 4,000 firefighters were engaged in battling 42 active blazes, utilizing over 1,000 vehicles and approximately 30 aircraft. The Civil Protection agency has reported five fatalities, including three firefighters, and over 150 injuries, with 12 classified as serious.
The Portuguese Government declared Friday, September 20, a day of national mourning. Authorities reported that firefighters had gained control of most of the fires in the north of the country by Thursday, with improving weather conditions aiding in containment efforts. By early Friday morning, almost all of the wildfires had been extinguished.
The fires, fueled by intense heat and strong winds, ignited last weekend and consumed over 100,000 hectares of land in just five days. Carbon emissions, used as an indicator of fire intensity, reached an estimated 1.9 megatonnes by September 18, nearly double the previous record of approximately one megatonne set in 2003.
“Our data is showing a clear enhancement in the fire emissions and smoke impacts on atmospheric composition and air quality, reflecting the high intensity that rapidly developed with these devastating fires in northern Portugal,” states Mark Parrington, senior scientist at CAMS.
The smoke plumes from the fires initially moved towards the Atlantic but are anticipated to shift back across the northern Iberian Peninsula through the Bay of Biscay and towards western France in the coming days.
The fires in Portugal are part of a global trend of increasing wildfire frequency and intensity, fueled by climate change. Analysis of NASA satellite data spanning over 20 years has revealed a more than doubling in the frequency of severe burns between 2003 and 2023. These severe burns have also become 2.3 times more intense, with six of the most extreme years occurring from 2017 onward. Europe, including Portugal, has been particularly impacted in recent years.
