VIDEO: A new large forest fire in Portugal

fires fire in portugal
EPA-EFE/HUGO DELGADO

Portugal, which has been hit by the third heat wave since the beginning of July, is battling several fires today while the country is on alert until tomorrow due to the threat of forest fires. This afternoon, almost 2.000 firefighters have been mobilized to extinguish the fires across the country, the civil defense said.

The biggest fire was raging in the vicinity of Villa Real, in the northern part of the country, and yesterday it started to spread in the interior of the difficult-to-access mountainous area.

"According to the initial estimate, the fire has burned 4.500 hectares of land," National Director of Civil Protection Andre Fernandes said in an address to the public.

Meteorologists predict temperatures up to 40 degrees

In the fight against this forest fire, Portugal can count on the help of foreign firefighters sent within the framework of the European solidarity mechanism.

The state of emergency, which the Government declared yesterday, limits access to forests, prohibits fireworks and foresees an increase in the level of mobilization of aid.

The Portuguese Meteorological Institute (IPMA) has announced temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius in the interior of the country for today and tomorrow. Portugal, which has been hit by an exceptional drought this year, had its warmest July in almost a hundred years.

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