LISBON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese civil protection operational commander Carlos Tavares said on Thursday that the fires in Gois, central Portugal had been brought under control.
The fires in Gois, some 20 km away from Pedrogao Granda, were brought under control early Thursday morning and work is underway to prevent them from reigniting, said Tavares.
According to the operational commander, the fires in Gois have destroyed a forest area of around 20,000 hectares.
This comes after forest fires in neighboring Pedrogao Granda killed 64 people before also being quelled.
The deadly fires in Pedrogao Granda, around 150 km northeast of Lisbon, began on Saturday and were only contained on Wednesday.
Local authorities are assessing the safety conditions for the return of inhabitants to villages that had had to be evacuated due to the proximity of the flames.
"If the evaluation is positive, we can accelerate the return of people to their homes," said Tavares.
