Portugal, which continued to fight several wildfires on Monday, August 22, announced that it expects calm thanks to improved weather conditions from Wednesday.
The state of fire risk alert, in place since Sunday, will not be extended beyond midnight on Tuesday ‘Thanks to the noticeable improvement’ Jose Luis Carneiro, after a meeting with civil protection services, said the weather conditions. The alert specifically restricts access to forests, bans fireworks displays and plans to boost the level of rescue mobilization.
From Wednesday, the forecast depends on lower temperatures and an increase in the level of humidity in the air, “So much so that we felt it was possible to review the restrictions”It is to explain.
However, many firefighters remained in their mobilization Monday evening to battle the flames across the territory, according to civil protection data. Since January, smoke has erupted in more than 94,000 hectares in the country.
The largest fire broke out in the region of Villa Real in the north of the country, and it has been progressing since the previous day within a mountainous area that is difficult to access. To combat this forest fire, Portugal can count from Monday on the support of two Greek Kandirs sent as part of the European Solidarity Mechanism.
A state of alert was announced on Sunday
Alone, wildfires in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, a mountainous region in central Portugal designated by UNESCO, consumed more than 25,000 hectares of vegetation in eleven days, before being declared under control on Wednesday.
The Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, told the press, in the face of the scale of this fire, the government decided to issue a “state of natural disaster” soon, which will allow the rapid release of aid. Monday meeting with the mayors of affected municipalities.
“During the next two weeks, state departments and municipalities will begin surveying the damages and damages caused by this fire.”identified by the Minister before adding that a Activation plan This nature park will be introduced in September.
According to scientists, global warming increases the likelihood of heat waves, droughts, and, consequently, wildfires.
