Plumes of smoke from serious wildfires across Portugal fan into the Atlantic in this Copernicus Sentinel-3 image captured on 17 September 2024.
Dozens of wildfires are reported throughout the country, mainly in the north. The fires forced the closure of two railway lines and several motorways, including part of the main road between Lisbon and Porto.
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated to help authorities respond to the emergency. Using satellite data, the service provides information for emergency response for different types of disasters, including meteorological and geophysical hazards, deliberate and accidental disasters, humanitarian disasters, and for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities.