Portugal has requested assistance from the European Union as wildfires in the central and northern regions have resulted in at least two deaths.
Villages have been evacuated, roads closed, and firefighting planes have been requested to help battle the blazes, according to a report from Reuters.
The most critical areas are in the Alentejo region in the south and around Aveiro near Porto, where a forest fire has reached the outskirts of Albergaria-a-Velha, a town of 25,000 residents. The fire destroyed four homes, and over 1,100 firefighters have been deployed to the area. Due to thick smoke, police closed a section of the main highway connecting Lisbon and Porto.
Authorities reported finding the remains of a man, likely a forestry worker, while another person died from a heart attack in the same region. Two others were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to the civil protection service. In Aveiro district, 12 firefighting planes were deployed, and across the country, at least 20 fires are being fought. The government has requested eight additional firefighting planes through the EU’s civil protection mechanism (RescEU). Two have arrived from Spain, and two more are expected from France, a Ministry of the Interior spokesperson told Reuters.
On Monday afternoon, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro expressed his gratitude to France, Greece, Italy, and Spain for their swift assistance in battling the disaster via a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Conditions are expected to worsen due to extreme heat, dry weather, and wind gusts up to 70 kilometers per hour, said André Fernandes, head of the national rescue and civil protection services. He confirmed that the highest level of red alert will remain in place across mainland Portugal.
