Image caption At least 35 people were injured and the most seriously hurt were taken to Lisbon and Porto for treatment

At least eight people have been killed and dozens more injured after a blast triggered a fire at a community centre in northern Portugal.

The fire in Vila Nova da Rainha started when a heating boiler in the building exploded, the mayor said.

More than 60 people were at the centre for an amateur card tournament or were watching football on TV.

The fire reportedly ignited material in the roof and spread quickly, causing panic.

Vila Nova da Rainha is close to the town of Tondela and is about 260km (160 miles) north-east of Lisbon.

The mayor of Tondela, José António Jesus, told the Público newspaper that the fire quickly created a large amount of carbon monoxide.

He said the recreational and cultural centre was "very active and at the heart of the community".

At least 35 people were hurt, six of them seriously, according to local media, with most suffering burns or smoke inhalation. Some of the injured were taken to hospitals in Lisbon and Porto, the Diário de Notícias website reported.

The newspaper said glass wool in the roof may have contributed to the spread of the fire in the two-storey building.

The dense smoke may have disoriented people as they tried to escape.

One of those at the centre, Rui Abreu, told Jornal de Notícias that some people had fallen on top of each other on the stairs.

Dozens of fire-fighters were deployed and the flames were extinguished in about an hour.

The Tondela area was badly hit by forest fires last October and local officials described the latest deaths as a "new catastrophe".</s>Eight people were killed and over 50 injured after a fire broke out at a recreational centre in the northern town of Vila Nova da Rainha in Portugal on Saturday night, AFP reported quoting the police. Some of the injured have been shifted to hospitals in Lisbon and Porto.

There were more than 60 people at the community centre for a card tournament when the incident happened, said Tondela Mayor Jose Antonio Jesus. The fire triggered panic and led to a stampede, according to Reuters. “Several dozen people have been injured, some lightly and others gravely, and are still being assisted,” the mayor said.

The fire started after a heating boiler reportedly exploded. Some reports said glass wool in the roof helped the fire spread faster. The blaze was brought under control after an hour, reported BBC.</s>At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured in a fire and stampede in a local leisure association in the town of Vila Nova da Rainha in Portugal on Saturday night, officials said.

Mayor Jose Antonio de Jesus said in televised remarks that over 60 people had been taking part or watching a card tournament in the two-story popular gathering place of the town 260 kilometers northeast of Lisbon when the fire erupted.

"Several dozen people have been injured, some lightly and others gravely, and are still being assisted," he said.

He would not say what had caused the fire, but local media cited firefighters on the spot as saying that an explosion of a heating boiler was the likely cause.

Tondela Mayor Jose Antonio Jesus told RTP public television that the fire broke out when a wood-burning stove exploded as people gathered for an amateur card tournament where they were playing Sueca, a very popular game in Portugal

The fire broke out near Tondela, which lies between the northern towns of Coimbra and Viseu which were badly hit by a series of deadly wildfires in October, with some of the more seriously wounded airlifted to hospital by helicopter, he said.

The fire spread very rapidly but was finally quenched after an hour, the Tondela fire service said.

Portugal suffered from its deadliest ever forest fires last year, which killed a total of over 100 people - the worst loss of human lives in living memory in the country.</s>At least eight people were killed and dozens injured after a heater exploded and started a fire in a community center in northern Portugal late Saturday.

The fire broke out in the two-storey building in the town of Tondela, some 250 kilometers (150 miles) north of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

"Around 70 people were having dinner in the building when the fire broke out and we have a number of dead people as well as between 50 and 60 people injured," civil protection chief Paulo Santos told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Local mayor Jose Gomes Jesus said people had gathered in the center for an amateur card tournament when a wood-burning stove inside the building exploded.

Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly through the building, causing many people to panic. Tondela fire service said they put the flames out after an hour.

More than 170 first responders and three helicopters were reportedly bringing people to safety. Many of the injured were brought to local hospitals suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

Over 100 people were killed when some of the worst wildfires in Portugal’s history devastated the area around Tondela in October.

Read more: Portugal: As wild fires fade, survivors blame government for deaths</s>At least eight killed, dozens hurt in fire, stampede in Portugal

One of the deadly forest fires in Portugal last year which killed a total of more than 100 people. — File pic LISBON, Jan 14 — At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured in a fire and stampede in a local leisure association in the town of Vila Nova da Rainha in northern Portugal last night, officials said.

Mayor Jose Antonio de Jesus said in televised remarks that over 60 people had been taking part or watching a card tournament in the two-storey popular gathering place of the town 260 km northeast of Lisbon when the fire erupted.

“Several dozen people have been injured, some lightly and others gravely, and are still being assisted,” he said.

He would not say what had caused the fire, but local media cited firefighters on the spot as saying that an explosion of a heating boiler was the likely cause.

Portugal suffered from its deadliest ever forest fires last year, which killed a total of over 100 people — the worst loss of human lives in living memory in the country. — Reuters</s>Lisbon: At least eight people died and dozens were injured, some seriously, after a heater exploded and started a fire at the packed premises of a local residents' association in the north of Portugal, officials said.

A wood-burning stove exploded in the two-story building late last night in the town of Tondela, around 250 kilometres north of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, local mayor Jose Gomes Jesus told reporters.

Civil Protection Agency commander Paulo Santos told local radio station TSF that at least 50 people were injured.

Witnesses speaking to local television channels said the fire caused panic among the roughly 60 people in the building who were taking part in an evening amateur card tournament.

They said people crowded the exits as thick smoke filled the building. Dozens of fire crews and two rescue helicopters were at the scene taking the injured to hospital.

Authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.</s>At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured in a fire and stampede in a local leisure association in the town of Vila Nova da Rainha in northern Portugal on Saturday night, officials said.

Mayor Jose Antonio de Jesus said in televised remarks that over 60 people had been taking part or watching a card tournament in the two-storey popular gathering place of the town 260 km northeast of Lisbon when the fire erupted.

“Several dozen people have been injured, some lightly and others gravely, and are still being assisted,” he said.

He would not say what had caused the fire, but local media cited firefighters on the spot as saying that an explosion of a heating boiler was the likely cause.

Portugal suffered from its deadliest ever forest fires last year, which killed a total of over 100 people – the worst loss of human lives in living memory in the country.</s>At least eight persons have been killed and over 50 injured in a fire that broke out at a two-story building in Portugal, the media reported.

The fire broke out on Saturday night in a building in Vila Nova da Rainha, 250 km from Lisbon, after a heating-boiler exploded, Xinhua news agency reported.

The National Civil Protection Authority sent 148 firefighters and 67 vehicles to the scene and the blaze was contained within an hour.

Some of the injured, suffering from serious burns, were taken to hospitals by rescue helicopters.

However, fire incidents are not rare in the country, as the Portuguese Club of Hartford witnessed the same kind of incident in December 2017, including a wildlife fire incident, took almost 27 people's lives in last October. Later, the Portuguese authority said that 2017 was Portugal's "worst day of the year" for fires.</s>Eight people have died in a fire at a community centre in northern Portugal where dozens of people were watching a football match.

Officials said 38 people were injured in the blaze in the village of Vila Nova da Rainha, near Tondela, on Saturday evening. Nine people with severe burns were taken by helicopter to hospitals in Porto and Lisbon.

One of the survivors, Júlio Dias told the daily Publico: “It happened very fast. The whole floor was in flames within five minutes. In the panic, a lot of people massed against the doors and it was impossible to open them.”

He said a few minutes later rescue workers forced open a door using ropes tied to an all-terrain vehicle.

Many of those inside had been taking part in an amateur card tournament and watching football.

The local mayor, José António Jesus, said the fire was caused by the explosion of a wood-burning stove, which let off a “large quantity” of carbon monoxide. The Tondela fire service said the blaze was brought under control after an hour.

Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was expected tovisit the scene. The area was hit by a series of deadly wildfires in October.</s>At least eight killed, dozens hurt in fire, stampede in Portugal

At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured in a fire and stampede in a local leisure association in the town of Vila Nova da Rainha in northern Portugal on Saturday night, officials said, Reuters reported.

Mayor Jose Antonio de Jesus said in televised remarks that over 60 people had been taking part or watching a card tournament in the two-storey popular gathering place of the town 260 km northeast of Lisbon when the fire erupted.

“Several dozen people have been injured, some lightly and others gravely, and are still being assisted,” he said.
A heat boiler explodes at a community center in Vila Nova da Rainha, Tondela, Portugal, leaving at least eight people dead and thirty five injured.