The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) issued a Public Warning alerting to the elevated and maximum risk of rural fires in mainland Portugal, given the expected adverse meteorological conditions. The warning was transmitted by the Sub-regional Commander of Emergency and Civil Protection, João Rodrigues, based on information from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA).
According to IPMA forecasts, maximum temperatures exceeding 40°C are expected in the interior of the southern region and in the Tagus valley, accompanied by relative humidity below 30% in the country's interior, with poor recovery during the night. A gradual increase in wind intensity is also forecast for the west coast and highlands of the North and Central regions, raising the fire danger to levels between "Very High" and "Maximum", with particular incidence in the interior and the Algarve.
Civil Protection warns that these conditions create an environment favorable to the emergence and rapid spread of fires, considerably increasing the difficulty of suppression operations by firefighters. In this context, legislation strictly prohibits extensive burning, pile burning, the use of fire for meals in rural areas, beehive fumigation without spark arrestors, as well as the use of brush cutters, mowers and chipping machines.
ANEPC calls on the population to adopt appropriate prevention and precaution behaviors. Updates on the evolution of danger can be followed through the IPMA and ICNF websites, or through the Municipal Civil Protection Services and local Fire Brigades.
