CRASH MYSTERY
Reports of firefighter plane crashing as it tackles Portuguese forest blaze turn out to be ‘false alarm’
Witnesses saw a ball of flames believed to be between the villages of Louriceira and Ouzenda
REPORTS that a firefighting plane being piloted by a Brit had crashed while tackling massive blazes in Portugal have now been reported to be a false alarm.
An official with Portugal's Air Accident Office earlier claimed a water-dropping plane fighting the country's wildfires had ditched in thick smoke.
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The aircraft was said to have come down this afternoon in the municipality of Pedrogao Grande where the devastating fires started on Saturday afternoon.
Witnesses said they had seen a ball of flames and several electricity pylons hit the ground at the crash site, believed to be between the villages of Louriceira and Ouzenda.
The plane, originally thought to be a Canadair, was initially reported to be from Spain although later reports said it was Portuguese.
But it is now reported that the crash alert was nothing more than a false alarm.
Earlier reports said the planes were struggling with the thick smoke clouding the skies.
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The official death toll from the fires currently stands at 64. Half the victims have been identified.
Another 157 people have been injured.
Several children are among the dead, including a four-year-old boy who was killed along with his uncle after they were trapped in their car.
His parents were told the news while they were on honeymoon in Cape Verde.
Seventeen planes and four helicopters have been involved in the firefighting efforts.
Dozens of villages have been evacuated in Pedrogao Grande and the nearby municipality of Gois.
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Civil protection officials have said they expect the blazes to be under control soon, but warn that soaring temperatures are hampering efforts.
The week's highest temperatures in the area are expected to reach about 38C (100F) and, together with windy conditions, could reignite fires that have already been brought under control.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who on Sunday visited the affected area, called it the biggest human tragedy in Portugal in living memory.
Despite government assurances that the first response by the emergency services was swift and adequate, media and residents questioned its efficiency and the strategic planning in a country which is used to wooded areas burning every year.
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