Here's a look at why Portugal seems helplessly prone to the phenomenon and what lessons it might be able to learn.

WHY IS PORTUGAL SO HARD HIT?

Wildfires are an annual scourge in Portugal. Between 1993 and 2013, Portugal recorded more forest fires than Spain, France, Italy or Greece, according to a report last year by the European Environment Agency, even though it is smaller than any of those countries.

The reasons why are many. Located on Europe's western edge, it is a slender strip of country facing the Atlantic Ocean to the west and Spain to the north and east. It is often subject to forceful winds and inland temperatures sometimes hovering around 40 degrees Celsius, (104 Fahrenheit).

Large areas of central and northern Portugal are covered in dense woodland and hilly terrain, much of it pine and eucalyptus trees, both of which burn well. The forest industry, especially the production of paper pulp, accounts for around 3 percent of GDP, but ecologists lambast authorities for permitting excessive planting of eucalyptus in particular. It is the country's most common and most profitable species—but one that can turn into a veritable tinderbox in adverse conditions.

A government study between 2003 and 2013 found most of the fires are started deliberately set or are due to negligence or accidents.

The Pedrogao Grande catastrophe is believed to have been initially caused by a dry thunderstorm, an environmental phenomenon blamed for starting wildfires worldwide. In it, falling rain evaporates before reaching the ground because of high temperatures, but lightning from the high cumulonimbus clouds reaches the ground. With no rain to wet the land, fires start and are fanned more quickly by gusty winds.

Portuguese police detectives said forestry guards and investigators were able to determine the tree struck by lightning on Saturday during the dry thunderstorm in the Pedrogao Grande area. The tree was in the village of Escalos Fundeiros, said police chief Almeida Rodrigues.

The regional prosecutor has ordered a criminal investigation into the fire's causes but the probe could be dropped if the police version is fully confirmed.

Portugal endured a three-year recession after needing a 78 billion-euro ($83 billion) international bailout in 2011. The crisis, although officially over, forced cutbacks in virtually all areas of government. Forest management was no exception, with less money for preventive measures such as forest cleaning.

But global climate change is also emerging as a factor. Ecologists say southern Europe, like many other parts of the world, is experiencing longer and hotter summers and shorter and drier winters. Greenpeace says this is the hottest start to summer in 40 years.

The European Environment Agency report last December said climate change was "expected to have a strong impact on forest fire regimes in Europe."

"Although most of the wildfires in Europe are ignited by humans (either accidentally or intentionally), it is widely recognized that weather conditions and the accumulation of fuel play dominant roles in affecting the changes in fire risk over time," it said.

Portugal has lots of experience but seems short on equipment and finances. The country has water-carrying firefighting aircraft but not enough to manage major outbreaks like this weekend. It hires aircraft from private companies or relies on the European Union's sharing program under which neighboring countries such as Spain, France and Italy send in aircraft when they can.

The government last March approved a long-term plan to improve forest management and help prevent wildfires that included restrictions on eucalyptus, hiring more firefighters and providing them with better equipment. But critics say many of the reforms have not to come into force or fall short of what is required.

Green lobby groups say governments haven't done enough prevention work, such as implementing early annual forest-cleaning programs, clearing trees from around houses and roads, creating firebreaks in forests and forcing landowners to clean their properties of debris and waste that provides fuel for fires.

"In Portugal, the main factor in the scale of wildfires is the unbroken stretches of forest," said Prof. Paulo Fernandes, a forest researcher at Portugal's Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro University.

Ideally, he said, there should be firebreaks such as cleared woodland or farmland that help to stop a blaze in its tracks.

In 2015 and 2016, Portugal had some 50 firefighting aircraft at its disposal, most of them rented. But on Saturday five major fires broke out, stretching the country's capacity beyond limits and forcing it to seek help from abroad. More than 2,000 firefighters and soldiers worked to combat the blazes.

WHAT CAN PORTUGAL DO?

Cathelijne Stoof, an environmental science professor at the Netherlands' Wageningen University, said Portugal's wildfire problems stem basically from the gradual depopulation of rural areas in recent decades, leaving fewer people caring for forest areas and the countryside in general. She said that, in addition, the country had moved from cooler and damper oak forests in many parts to more commercially viable but fire-hazardous pine and eucalyptus.

"Portugal knows exactly what it needs to do, and that is the sad thing about the current situation," Stoof told the Associated Press. She pointed out that a government forest fire prevention report 10 years ago was deemed to be too ambitious and many of its recommendations ignored.

She maintains there is a lack of control over who owns and is responsible for maintaining many land plots in Portugal.

Portugal "has to manage the fuel (fire-feeding vegetation) in the landscape," she said, adding that much vegetation, such as bushes and shrubs, needs to be removed or cleaned up to prevent the fires from spreading fast, and for this, the landowners must be involved.

Pedrogao is by far the worst fire to hit Portugal in terms of victims. In comparison, last year fires across Portugal killed four people, including three on the island of Madeira. The worst previous loss of life was in 1966, when 25 Portuguese soldiers died fighting wildfires.

Explore further: Portugal risks more and more deadly fires: experts</s>A forest fire that’s being called the most deadly in Portugal’s history has killed more than 60 people, many of them trapped in cars they tried to escape the area. Wind, dry air, and heat topping 104 degrees Fahrenheit have worsened conditions for firefighters, who are still battling flames in the central region of Pedrógão Grande. Prime Minister António Costa called it “the worst tragedy in terms of human lives that we’ve known in recent years.”

A “dry thunderstorm” is believed to have started the fire. The phenomenon happens when rain evaporates because of high temperatures before hitting the ground. Investigators found a tree struck by lightning that’s thought to be where the fire began on Saturday, about 100 miles northeast of Lisbon. The blaze sent a thick wall of smoke through the region, and 11 districts were under under surveillance on Sunday because of fire risk.

Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said that of the dead, at least 30 were killed in their cars on a forested roadway between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera. There, flames jumped the road and incinerated a line of cars fleeing as the fire destroyed their homes.

More than 350 soldiers and about 1,600 firefighters were battling to put out the blaze, which has spread into five distinct fires. Prime Minister Costa said emergency services responded as quickly as possible, but he acknowledged that alerts to nearby communities may have been slowed because flames destroyed some phone lines and communication towers. The European Union said its was sending firefighting aircraft, with France and Spain offering their own planes as well.

Fires in the area are common during the summer, but the region has experienced a heat wave recently, and dry winds have worsened conditions. Last August, a rash of fires killed four people, including three on the island of Madeira. The other most deadly fire for the country came in 1966, when 25 Portuguese soldiers died while fighting a blaze.</s>A forest fire that engulfed villages in central Portugal has killed 62 people, trapping most of the victims in their cars, a government official said on Sunday. Jorge Gomes, secretary of state for home affairs, said 57 people had been injured, five of them seriously, in the country’s worst forest fire disaster on record. Thirty…

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>The Latest on Portugal forest fires (all times local):

Portugal’s interior minister says that the death toll in the forest fires raging in the center of the country has increased to 39.

Interior Minister Jorge Gomes has been quoted as giving the new figure on public broadcaster RTP. Government officials say many of victims died in their cars when flames swept over a road.

About 600 firefighters are fighting blazes that are raging in the Pedrogao Grande area about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northeast of Lisbon.

Portuguese radio station TSF says the Interior Ministry has confirmed that 25 people have been killed in forest fires in central Portugal.

Government officials say many of victims died in their cars when flames swept over a road.

About 600 firefighters are fighting blazes that are raging in the Pedrogao Grande area about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northeast of Lisbon.</s>CNN — A raging wildfire ripping through central Portugal has killed at least 62 people and injured dozens more in what officials there described as the "greatest wildfire tragedy of recent years."

Eight firefighters are among the injured and four of them are in critical condition, Portuguese Interior Minister Constanca Urbano de Sousa said.

She asked the Portuguese to stop sending supplies as teams on the ground already had more than they could manage and the influx of water, food and medical equipment was creating logistical difficulties.

The government has declared three days of mourning.

The head of Portugal's judiciary police told reporters the fire was started by lightning. "We have been able to determine that the origin of the fire was caused by dry thunderstorms," José Maria Almeida Rodrigues said, according to the Portuguese state-run news agency Lusa.

The blaze spread Saturday to the Pedrógão Grande community, forcing residents to flee the area to escape towering flames. Pedrógão Grande is about 120 miles north of Lisbon.

The municipality's Mayor, Valdemar Alves, said there were areas "completely surrounded" by the blaze. "I am shocked with this death toll,"Alves told TVI.

"Many cars could not get out and people burned to death inside their cars," Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes told CNN affiliate TVI. Hundreds of firefighters were still fighting the flames Monday.

Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said schools in the municipalities of Pedrogão, Figueiró and Castanheira will be closed "for an indefinite period" and exams will be postponed.

Portugal's President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, offered a word of comfort to those still battling the fires and said that "all that could be done was done."

European countries are coming together to assist Portugal. France and Spain have sent planes to help battle the blaze, the European Commission said.

"We express our condolences to those that have lost loved ones," said Christos Stylianides of the European Commission. "The EU is fully ready to help. All will be done to assist the authorities and people of Portugal at this time of need."

"Overwhelmed by the tragedy of Pedrógão Grande. The Portuguese people have our solidarity, support and affection," Spain's President Mariano Rajoy Brey wrote on Twitter.

Pope Francis prayed for the victims during his weekly prayer on Sunday.

"I express my closeness with the dear Portuguese people for the devastating fire that is affecting the forests around Pedrógão Grande, causing many deaths and injuries. We pray in silence," the Pope said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences on Twitter.

The Portuguese Football Federation changed its Twitter avatar to black to mourn the victims of the fire and the Portugal team observed a moment of silence before its first match in the Confederations Cup against Mexico on Sunday. The federation said it will make a donation to help the victims and their families.

Others expressed their grief on social media.

"I can't express what is going through my soul," Sérgio Fonseca posted on Facebook.

"I can't go to Figueiró dos Vinhos and my parents and brothers have had a night of horror," Fonseca said. "The roof of our home was ripped apart by the strong wind ... I'm on the other side, but my head and my heart are always with them."

He later told CNN he was able to reunite with his parents and brothers, who were tired but safe and thankful to be alive.

Britain issued a travel warning for its citizens warning them of the fires in Portugal and urging them to be careful while visiting or driving through woodland areas.

"Around 2.6 million British nationals visited Portugal in 2015. Most visits are trouble-free," the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement.

On Friday, Portugal's National Authority for Public Safety issued wildfire alerts due to high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

Last year, thousands of firefighters battled at least 12 huge fires across the country.

Three people were killed and over 1,000 evacuated in the Portuguese island of Madeira due to the fierce wildfires a year ago.</s>LISBON: A huge forest fire raging since Saturday in central Portugal has killed at least 62 people, the government said on Sunday, in what is possibly the deadliest-ever forest blaze in the Atlantic coastal country, used to the woods burning almost every summer.

"The dimension of this fire was such that we don't have memory of such a human tragedy," Prime Minister Antonio Costa said as he arrived in Pedrogao Grande, a mountainous area some 200 km northeast of Lisbon.

He said it was vital to focus on the prevention of new fires, amid a continuing heat wave, strong winds and lack of rain. He also warned that the death toll could still increase. The government declared three days of mourning and sent two army battalions to help the emergency services.

The European Union said it would provide firefighting aircraft. France has offered three planes and Spain has sent two, authorities said. Speaking in the Vatican, Pope Francis, who visited Portugal last month, mentioned the victims in his weekly address: "I am close to the dear people of Portugal, hit by a devastating fire which is raging in the forests around Pedrogao Grande, causing many victims and injuries. Let us pray in silence." French President Emmanuel Macron said in a Twitter message: "Solidarity with Portugal, hit by terrible fires. Our thoughts are with victims. France makes its aid available to Portugal". The European Commission´s aid chief, Christos Stylianides, said in a statement that "all will be done to assist the authorities and people of Portugal at this time of need.</s>AVELAR, PORTUGAL(AP) - Raging forest fires in central Portugal killed at least 43 people, many of them trapped in their cars as flames swept over a road, in what Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Sunday called "the biggest tragedy of human life that we have known in years."

Nearly 60 other people were injured, including four firefighters and a seriously injured minor, public broadcaster RTP reported, citing Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes.

The fatalities occurred in the Pedrogao Grande area, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northeast of Lisbon, where about 700 firefighters have been trying to put out the fires since Saturday, Gomes said.

Gomes said that at least 16 people were killed when their vehicles were engulfed by flames on a road between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera, and three others died from smoke inhalation in Figueiro dos Vinhos. No information was immediately given on how the others were killed.

A huge wall of thick smoke and bright red flames towered over the top of trees near houses in the wooded region.

Local resident Isabel Brandao told The Associated Press that she had feared for her life.

"Yesterday we saw the fire but thought it was very far. I never thought it would come to this side," she said. "At 3:30 a.m., my mother-in-law woke me up quickly and we never went to sleep again. We were afraid the fire would reach us."

RTP showed terrifying images of several people on a road trying to escape the intense smoke that had reduced visibility to a question of a few meters (yards). A young man shared a bottle of water with a distraught woman as she stumbled down the road.

Costa said that firefighting crews were having difficulties in approaching the area because the fire was "very intense." He added that Portuguese authorities were working on identifying the victims and that Spanish rescuers would assist in efforts to control the blazes.

Costa said that while investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, authorities believe that the high temperatures of 40 C (104 F) in recent days may have played a part.

"This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions," said Valdemar Alves, mayor of Pedrogao Grande. "I am completely stunned by the number of deaths."

Portugal, like most southern European countries, is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months.

Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain.</s>Portugal has declared three days of national mourning after 61 people were killed in raging forest fires.

Many of those killed died while trapped in their cars as huge flames swept over a road amid intense fires Prime Minister Antonio Costa described as the "the biggest tragedy" the country has experienced in years.

A lightning strike is believed to have sparked the initial blaze in the Pedrogao Grande area after investigators found a tree that was hit during a "dry thunderstorm".

Such storms are frequent when falling water evaporates before reaching the ground because of high temperatures.

Authorities had previously said that temperatures which have soared to 40C in recent days might have played a part in the inferno, centred about 95 miles north-east of the capital Lisbon.

Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said 59 people died from the flames and suffocating smoke, while another two people perished in a traffic accident related to the fires.

Another 54 people have been injured, including four firefighters and a child with serious injuries.

More than 350 soldiers have joined the 700 firefighters who have been struggling to put out the flames since Saturday.

A huge wall of thick smoke and bright red flames could at one point be seen towering over the top of trees near houses in the wooded region.

Local television showed terrifying images of several people on a road trying to escape the intense smoke that had reduced visibility to just a few metres.

Mr Gomes said at least 30 of those killed were in vehicles engulfed by flames on a road between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera.

He added that firefighting crews are having difficulties battling the flames, which are "very violent" in at least two of the four fronts.

A Spanish firefighting aircraft is assisting and another is expected to arrive later on Sunday, while France is also sending three aircraft.

In a tweet on Sunday, Mr Costa sent his "deepest regret for the victims... and a word of encouragement and strength for all who help combat this scourge".

The loss of life due to a forest fire is the biggest in memory in Portugal. It has been over 50 years since 25 Portuguese soldiers perished fighting wildfires in 1966.

"We are most likely facing the biggest tragedy of human life that we have known," Mr Costa added.

Valdemar Alves, mayor of Pedrogao Grande, said: "This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions.

"I am completely stunned by the number of deaths."

Many world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Pope Francis and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have expressed solidarity with Portugal.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted that he is "overwhelmed by the tragedy at Pedrogao Grande. The Portuguese people can count on our solidarity, support and care".</s>LISBON, Portugal (AP) — At least 25 people have been killed in forest fires in central Portugal, many of them trapped in their cars as flames swept over a road, officials said early Sunday.

Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes said the deaths occurred in the Pedrogao Grande area, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of Lisbon, where some 600 firefighters are trying to put out the fires since Saturday.

Gomes said 16 people were killed in their cars on a road between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera, and three others died from smoke inhalation in Figueiro dos Vinhos.

Public broadcaster RTP said there were about 20 injured, including six firefighters. Fourteen of the injured were in serious condition, RTP said.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa called it “the biggest tragedy of human life that we have known in years.” He said Portuguese authorities were working on identifying the victims and that Spanish rescuers would assist in efforts to control the blazes.

Televised images showed a huge wall of bright red flames leaping over the top of trees in the wooded region.

Portugal has suffered high temperatures that have reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degress Fahrenheit) in recent days.

The southern European country is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months.</s>Raging forest fires in central Portugal killed at least 57 people, many of them trapped in their cars as flames swept over a road, in what the prime minister on Sunday called "the biggest tragedy of human life that we have known in years."

Nearly 60 other people were injured, including four firefighters and a seriously injured minor, Interior Ministry official Jorge Gomes told state broadcaster RTP.

A lightning strike is believed to have sparked the blaze in the Pedrogao Grande area after investigators found a tree that was hit during a "dry thunderstorm," the head of the national judicial police told Portuguese media. Dry thunderstorms are frequent when falling water evaporates before reaching the ground because of high temperatures. Portugal, like most southern European countries, is prone to forest fires in the dry summer months.

"This is a region that has had fires because of its forests, but we cannot remember a tragedy of these proportions," said Valdemar Alves, mayor of Pedrogao Grande. "I am completely stunned by the number of deaths."

Authorities had previously said that 40 C (104 F) heat in recent days might have played a part in the inferno about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northeast of Lisbon. About 700 firefighters have been trying to put out the fires since Saturday, Gomes said.

A huge wall of thick smoke and bright red flames towered over the top of trees near houses in the wooded region. Local resident Isabel Brandao told The Associated Press that she had feared for her life.

"Yesterday we saw the fire but thought it was very far. I never thought it would come to this side," she said. "At 3:30 a.m., my mother-in-law woke me up quickly and we never went to sleep again. We were afraid the fire would reach us."

RTP showed terrifying images of several people on a road trying to escape the intense smoke that had reduced visibility to a question of a few meters (yards). A young man shared a bottle of water with a distraught woman as she stumbled down the road.

Gomes said that at least 16 people were killed when their vehicles were engulfed by flames on a road between the towns of Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera, and three others died from smoke inhalation in Figueiro dos Vinhos. No information was immediately given on how the others were killed.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that firefighting crews were having difficulties in approaching the area because the fire was "very intense." He added that Portuguese authorities were working on identifying the victims and that Spanish rescuers would assist in efforts to control the blazes.

Portugal's civil protection agency, which coordinates the firefighting efforts, issued a warning of the increased risk for forest fires in Friday. Citing the high temperatures, it said that all outdoor fires were prohibited.

The European Union has activated its civil protection efforts to help Portugal extinguish the fires. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides expressed his condolences for the victims in a statement, saying the "EU is fully ready to help."

Stylianides says that in response to a request for help by Portugal, Spain and France are both sending aircraft to help fight the flames. France is sending three planes, while Spain has sent several firefighting aircraft.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted that he is "overwhelmed by the tragedy at Pedrogao Grande. The Portuguese people can count on our solidarity, support and care."

Associated Press writers Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, and Aritz Parra in Madrid, contributed to this report.
The death toll from forest fires in Pedrógão Grande, central Portugal, rises to at least 62. Many victims were trapped on the road between the towns of Figueiró dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera.