LISBON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter combating forest fire in Alijo, Vila Real district in northern Portugal crashed Sunday afternoon but the pilot was well, Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported.
Alvaro Ribeiro, district commander for relief operations in Vila Real, some 400 km northeast of Lisbon, confirmed that the helicopter crashed when it was performing bucket tests for water over a dam before heading for firefight in the district.
According to the National Authority of Civil Protection, some 150 firefighters and 40 vehicles are involved in combating the forest fire which erupted Sunday.