Live
Audio Only
Portugal is still fighting several fires amid the third heat wave that hits the country since early July.
On August 19, the Portuguese Government decreed a state of alert until Tuesday due to the risk of forest fires posed by a new heat wave.
RELATED:
Alert for Forest Fire Risk in the Coming Days in Portugal
Civil Protection said that there were about 1 800 firefighters nationwide battling the blaze on Monday morning.
At the northern end of the Vila Real region, is where the most significant outbreak is located, which advanced towards the interior of a mountainous and difficult to access area.
The state of alert, decreed by the government, restricts access to forests and bans the use of agricultural machinery and fireworks, as well as reinforces emergency troop mobilization levels.
���� In the last three days, Portugal has registered 215 wildfires, requiring the mobilisation of 8,034 firefighters, according to the country's civil protection agency.
— TLDR News EU (@TLDRNewsEU) August 22, 2022
A fire in Vila Real is being tackled by 462 firefighters with the assistance of 135 vehicles and 7 airplanes.
Portugal's meteorological institute (IPMA) said temperatures are expected to approach 40ºC in the country's inland regions on Monday and Tuesday. The month of July has been the warmest in the country in almost a century.
The Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) informed that since the beginning of the year, almost 94 000 hectares have been consumed by the flames.
The fire in the Serra da Estrela natural park was brought under control on Wednesday. This massive fire in the mountainous region of central Portugal consumed over 25 000 hectares of vegetation in the last few weeks.
Newsletter
