4 Killed Fighting Fire In Wine Facilities

Four firefighters were believed to have died battling a blaze that threatened Portugal’s famous port wine storage vats, officials said Saturday.

The fire broke out late Friday and quickly engulfed a factory and several other building near the centuries-old wine facilities in Vila Nova de Gaia, near the city of Oporto.

The missing firefighters - including a 31-year-old volunteer - plunged through the roof of the factory. Rescue teams were trying to find their bodies.

One firefighter blamed the four presumed deaths and the threat to the famed fortified wine, one of Portugal’s top exports, on inadequate training for firefighters.

“We don’t know anything about the materials stored in these industries,” the firefighter said.