Lisbon, Aug 16 A fire broke out early Saturday at a nursing home in northern Portugal's Mirandela, leaving six people dead, five seriously injured, and 20 others with minor injuries, local authorities said.
The incident, which happened around 5 am local time (0400 GMT), was confirmed by Luis Carlos Soares, commander of the Mirandela fire department, in a statement sent to local broadcaster RTP.
Aderito Gomes, one of the board members of the institution, said the blaze is believed to have started in connection with an anti-bedsore mattress in a room with three residents, all of whom died. Three other elderly persons died due to smoke inhalation and respiratory complications.
The nursing home hosted about 90 elderly people, Xinhua news agency reported. After the incident, some of them were transferred to hospitals in Mirandela, Macedo de Cavaleiros and Braganca, while the rest are being relocated to other facilities.
Authorities stressed that the fire was not connected to the ongoing wave of wildfires affecting several parts of the country.
The Portuguese National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection announced on Friday that Portugal has activated the European Union (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism in its fight against wildfires, requesting Canadair aircraft to support firefighting operations.
Mario Silvestre, National Commander for emergency and civil protection, said the decision was based on the overnight and early morning developments of the fires, as well as the failure to contain the Lousa fire, which spread 30 km in three hours and now has a perimeter of 208 km.
According to Lusa News Agency, a total of 2,850 personnel were mobilized for the six fires of greatest concern to the authorities, supported by 960 vehicles and 32 aerial assets.
Interior Minister Maria Lucia Amaral announced on Thursday that Portugal would remain under alert until August 17, due to the heightened wildfire risk caused by weather conditions. The extended alert includes continued bans on agricultural and recreational activities in rural areas, such as access to and movement within forested zones, as well as prohibitions on bonfires, machinery use, and fireworks.
Wildfires have been affecting the country for 23 days amid an uninterrupted heat wave.
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