‘Absolute chaos’: counting the cost of a deadly wildfire in northern Portugal

Residents of Albergaria-a-Velha tell of the fear and losses brought by a blaze that evoked memories of 2017 disaster

The fires are out in Albergaria-a-Velha now, their embers washed away by the heavy rain. But their reek still carries on the damp air, rising from the sooty earth, the scorched tree trunks, the burned-out cars and houses, and the puddles of black and acrid water.

If the numbers offer a glimpse of the toll that last week's wildfires took on this northern Portuguese municipality - four people dead, at least seven injured, 25,269 hectares burned and 81 homes damaged - they cannot convey the sense of fear and loss that the 26 metre-high flames brought with them.