The Portuguese government has decided to extend the alert status until 23:59 on August 13, following a meeting of the Council of Ministers. This decision was announced by the Ministers of the Presidency and Internal Administration during a press conference.
Maria Lúcia Amaral, the Minister of Internal Administration, stated that the alert status would remain under the same terms as the declaration that came into effect last Saturday and was set to expire this Thursday. She emphasized that the extension is due to the alert status contributing to a reduction in the number of ignitions and the anticipated worsening of climatic conditions in the coming days.
The alert status, declared for the first time this year last Saturday, maintains the prohibitions established last week. Activities in rural areas, including agricultural and recreational activities, remain banned, as does access, movement, and stay within forest areas according to municipal defense plans against fires. Additionally, burnings and the use of fireworks are prohibited, with previously issued authorizations suspended during this period.
The firefighting apparatus remains fully mobilized, with thousands of operational personnel, vehicles, aerial means, and drones on standby. The government also highlighted the purchase of two firefighting kits for C-130 aircraft from the Air Force, costing approximately 16 million euros.
Provisional data from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) reveal that 5,373 rural fires have erupted this year, resulting in 42,169 hectares of burned area, mostly comprising scrubland and forest. A significant portion of these fires and burned area occurred after July 26.
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