Portugal Requests Help From Europe as Wildfires Rage

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Sep 16, 2024

Above: Wildfire burning on Sept.16, 2024 in Marco de Canaveses, Portugal. Image copyright: Octavio Passos/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Imagesstory last updated Sep 17

The Facts

Portugal requested extra fire-fighting planes from the EU on Monday, to help tackle at least 48 wildfires across the country that have killed at least four people.
Winds of up to 43mph, temperatures of 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and dry conditions have contributed to wildfires in central and northern Portugal. Over 1.1K firefighters are attempting to combat one wildfire in the northwest Aveiro area.

The Spin

Narrative A

Thanks to climate change, countries such as Portugal will continue to be ravaged by increasingly potent wildfire seasons, which are slowly but surely beginning earlier and lasting longer. As long as this manmade crisis continues to exist, and Europe becomes increasingly warm and dry, countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Greece must brace themselves for widespread environmental damage and public displacement.

EuroNews

Narrative B

Although climate change has undeniably played a role in Portugal's wildfire disaster, there are a multitude of factors that must be considered. These events are the product of anomalous conditions that even scientists claim have never been witnessed before, while questions must be answered by Portugal and Europe's politicians as to how this catastrophe could've been better mitigated.