2nd wildfire under control

Photo: The Canadian Press

Portuguese members of government observe a minute of silence in memory of wildfire victims.

Official reports into Portugal's deadliest natural disaster in decades have described freak conditions that drove the wildfire that killed 64 people, while Portuguese authorities said Thursday they have contained a second fire that raged for five days close by.

More than 2,000 firefighters and some two dozen water-dropping aircraft fought the two fires for days and nights amid strong winds and temperatures above 40 C.

Several official investigations are assessing the disaster response, including why 47 of the deaths on Saturday night occurred on a country road as people fleeing the flames in their cars were engulfed by the blaze.

In an initial report, the Portuguese weather agency IPMA said a "downburst" of wind sprayed embers across a broad area.

On Monday, the head of the national judicial police said a lightning strike is believed to have sparked the blaze after investigators found a tree that was struck.