Funeral held for three firefighters killed in recent fires in Portugal

Around a thousand people attended the funeral of three firefighters killed in the recent Portuguese wildfires. 

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro were also present at the ceremony which was held in a square in the municipality of Tabua. 

Sonia Meloa, Susana Carvalho and Paulo Santos were firefighters from the Vila Nova de Oliveririnha fire station in Tabua. 

They died on Tuesday in a forest fire within the municipality – in the district of Coimbra. 

Devastating fires gripped the country, with the government calling for a national day of mourning for all the victims on Friday. 

Dozens of areas were affected in the northern and central districts of Porto and Aveiro. 

Fires caused at least five deaths and dozens of injuries across affected regions. The total size of the burned area is still being assessed. 

Experts link the fires to both climate change and the abandonment of traditional farming and forestry professions that helped keep rural areas clear of underbrush that is now fuel for fires.