Wildfire Threat Grows: Portugal Seeks Assistance from EU, Spain and Morocco

Portugal has asked the European Union, Spain and Morocco to keep additional firefighting aircraft on standby.

As the country braces for an elevated risk of wildfires amid an intense heatwave, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro announced on Friday.

Montenegro said the request was made as a precautionary measure due to forecasts of extreme fire danger across the country in the coming days, stressing that Portugal’s move was driven by the exceptional weather conditions rather than a lack of domestic firefighting resources.

“We believe it is better to receive support from our EU allies and closest neighbours than to divert resources from other parts of the country where they are currently deployed,” the prime minister said while explaining Lisbon’s decision to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and bilateral emergency assistance agreements with Spain and Morocco.

Portugal’s national weather agency, IPMA, has placed several mainland districts under red weather warnings, with temperatures climbing above 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.

In response, the government has declared a nationwide state of alert until late Monday. Authorities have imposed a series of preventive measures, including restricting access to certain forested areas, banning the use of machinery for forestry work and prohibiting controlled agricultural burns to reduce the risk of new fires.

According to Portugal’s civil protection agency, more than 2,800 firefighters, supported by 864 vehicles and 32 aircraft, were battling six active wildfires across the country on Friday. The largest blaze was burning in the central district of Viseu, where emergency crews continued efforts to contain the fire under challenging weather conditions.