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Firefighters and others are silhouetted in front of a wildfire on the outskirts of the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, July 4, 2026
HUNDREDS of firefighters battled wildfires in Portugal and Greece on Sunday, with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements to Portugal to help battle a massive blaze burning for more than three days.
In Greece, the authorities urged residents of parts of Thessaloniki, the second-largest Greek city, to remain indoors on Sunday and shut their windows and doors due to toxic smoke from a burning recycling plant that was engulfed by a wildfire on the outskirts of the city.
In central Portugal’s Vouzela area, more than 1,200 firefighters backed up by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft tried to put out a blaze that broke out on Thursday, according to the country’s Civil Protection Authority.
The wildfire had burned across an area of 46 square miles by Sunday, information from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite mapping agency showed.
The European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid said Spain sent 120 firefighters and 45 vehicles as reinforcements to Portugal on Friday, while three firefighting aircraft from Italy and Spain were also dispatched to help.
One of the major criticisms of China’s breakneck development in recent decades has been the impact on nature — returning after 15 years away, BEN CHACKO assessed whether the government’s recent turn to environmentalism has yielded results
