The heatwave shows no sign of easing, and neither do the first major wildfires of the season. At 18:00 this Friday, six wildfires were burning in Portugal. To respond to these incidents, more than 1,500 emergency personnel were on the ground, supported by around 500 vehicles and 25 aircraft.
This situation led the Portuguese government to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism on Friday, requesting the deployment of four Canadair water-bombing planes and a team from the Military Emergencies Unit of the Spanish Armed Forces, the government said in a statement sent to newsrooms.
The Ministry of Internal Administration also triggered the bilateral agreements in the field of civil protection signed with Spain and Morocco. “Spain has already made a Canadair aircraft available today” under this pact, the ministry added.
The greatest concern is the fire in the municipality of Vouzela, in the district of Viseu, which broke out in the early hours of Thursday. The blaze has several active fronts and continues to spread, fuelled by high temperatures and some wind.
According to information on the Civil Protection website, at 18:00 around 1,100 personnel were fighting the flames, supported by about 360 ground assets and eleven aircraft.
