Portugal is on high alert due to fires that have left at least four dead and dozens injured.
More than 5,000 firefighters are battling dozens of active fires in northern and central Portugal, where at least four people have died, including an elderly woman and a firefighter on duty.
The Civil Protection website says there are currently 48 active fires as of Tuesday, with 100 incidents reported. In addition to the victims, 40 other people have been injured.
A spokesman for the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) described operations in the hard-hit Lusa region as “very difficult” due to the “very high” number of fires.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said on social media platform X that the country was going through “difficult days”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels would send eight firefighting planes from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to support emergency services.
Neighborhoods on high alert due to heat
Firefighting conditions on the ground are expected to remain difficult, with weather institute IPMA issuing continued warnings due to the heat.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, eight districts of mainland Portugal are under a yellow heat alert, which will be in effect at least until 6:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
The IPMA said in a statement that the districts of Porto, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Leiria, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga are on alert due to the “persistence of high maximum temperatures”, while several municipalities in all districts of mainland Portugal are facing a “high” to “very high” fire danger.
The fires have led to traffic restrictions, with Civil Protection advising against travel in the affected areas, particularly in the Aveiro district. Several roads and highways were closed overnight, a situation that continued until the morning.
Related News :