Deadly wildfire contained

Photo: The Canadian Press

A wildfire that killed 64 people last weekend has been brought under control, Portuguese authorities said Wednesday as a minute of silence was held in memory of victims of the country's deadliest natural disaster in decades.

"The fire is no longer progressing," Civil Protection Agency spokesman Vitor Vaz Pinto said, adding that hundreds of firefighters would remain on the scene to prevent it from reigniting.

Since Saturday, more than 1,000 firefighters and more than a dozen water-dropping aircraft were deployed to tackle the blaze that had raged across the central region of Portugal.

Some of the personnel and equipment was sent by other European Union countries and Morocco.

Cooler temperatures and weaker winds also helped firefighters make progress against a nearby wildfire in Gois. There, about 1,100 firefighters supported by 14 water-dropping aircraft battled the flames, which officials said they expected to extinguish by Wednesday night.