This is a rare phenomenon. A whirlwind of fires broke out over the Arganil Forest in Portugal, which has been witnessing major forest fires since Friday evening.
In the pictures broadcast by the Portuguese channel TVI, we can see a fiery tornado above the trees. This phenomenon occurs due to the temperature difference between the ground and the air, which leads to local winds. These can cause new fires to break out.
A man died in a forest fire
With 80% of its territory affected by “severe” drought and temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in some areas on Monday, Portugal has faced a new series of fires in recent days.
Nearly 216,000 hectares of vegetation have already gone up in smoke between the beginning of January and the end of September, according to a provisional estimate from the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation.
In 2003, the burned area reached a record level of about 426 thousand hectares, but 2017 will witness the worst fire in the country's history. The huge fire that broke out on June 17 near Pedrogao Grande (centre) killed 64 people and injured more than 250 others. On Monday, the charred body of a 73-year-old man was found in the Guarda region in northern Portugal.
