صحافة بلادي صحيفة إلكترونية مغاربية متجددة على مدار الساعة تعنى بشؤون المغرب الجزائر ليبيا موريتانيا تونس
Portugal– With the increasing risk of forest fires as a result of a severe heat wave hitting the country, the Portuguese government decided to turn to Morocco, Spain, and the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to enhance its rapid intervention capabilities, as part of a proactive plan to confront any possible large-scale fires.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro announced the activation of European and bilateral cooperation mechanisms to provide additional means of air suppression, stressing that this step comes as a precautionary measure aimed at enhancing national preparedness, and not due to a lack of capabilities available to his country.
For days, Portugal has been experiencing a significant rise in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in a number of regions, which prompted the authorities to declare a state of alert until Monday evening, coinciding with issuing red alerts in areas considered most vulnerable to the outbreak of fires.
As part of preventive measures, the Portuguese government imposed a ban on lighting fires in open spaces, prohibited the use of some equipment inside forest areas, and restricted access to a number of forests and sensitive natural areas to reduce the risk of fire.
On the ground, the Portuguese fire brigades, which include more than 2,800 personnel supported by hundreds of vehicles and dozens of aircraft, continue firefighting operations in several regions, while the fire registered in the Viseu province remains one of the largest active hotspots, which necessitated the precautionary closure of a number of roads and railway lines.
In parallel, Lisbon requested, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the mobilization of four specialized Canadier aircraft, while strengthening operational coordination with the Spanish Military Emergency Unit, with the aim of increasing the speed of response in the event the fires expand.
The inclusion of Morocco among the countries that were asked to provide support within the framework of bilateral cooperation agreements for civil protection and disaster management, taking advantage of the experience that the Kingdom has accumulated in the field of combating forest fires, which enabled it to participate in support operations in a number of friendly countries.
These developments coincide with an unusual heat wave hitting several countries in southern Europe, including Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, amid warnings of an increase in the risk of fires in the coming weeks if the current weather conditions continue.
Source: “My press”
