Portugal fails in the face of raging fires

A fireman died on Monday fighting the fires that have been raging in Portugal's forests for several weeks; fire fighters are having problems bringing the blazes under control. The daily i expresses its frustration: "We see the pictures from Moscow and everything looks terrible - like several years ago in Australia, Greece and Spain. But with 400 fires a day according to the latest figures we have set new negative and tragic records for such a small country. ... A country is on fire, yet we have fewer fire fighters on the scene than in 2009. ... Interior Minister Rui Pereira was in San Pedro do Sul yesterday, where a worrying fire is wreaking havoc, and he appealed to everyone to act more responsibly. These fires also send a message to us as a people, ... because we are leaving the interior of the country to fend for itself or failing to join forces to clear underbrush. ... It's sad that we can't put out our biggest fire."

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