Portugal asks for help from the European Commission due to forest fires
Kyiv • UNN
Portugal has appealed to the European Commission for additional firefighting aircraft due to 15 fires in the center and north of the country. More than 800 firefighters are fighting the fires, and several villages have been evacuated.
Portugal on Monday asked the European Commission to provide more firefighting aircraft as at least 15 fires rage in the central and northern regions of the country. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
More than 800 firefighters battled the blazes in the northwestern district of Aveiro, while police closed highways, including a section of the main highway between the capital Lisbon and Porto, and evacuated several villages.
Authorities said they had deployed eight airplanes to the area to drop water.
The government has asked the European Commission to provide additional aircraft under the EU's civil protection mechanism known as RescEU.
The mayor of Albergaria a Vella, Antonio Loureiro, told the Lusa news agency that the fire burned two houses and is raging in the industrial and residential perimeter of the city of about 25,000 people.
In total, officials said, 1,500 firefighters were deployed across the country, and temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius over the weekend and are expected to remain high on Monday and Tuesday.
Portugal and neighboring Spain recorded fewer fires than usual after a rainy start to the year.
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