Three-day ‘state of alert’ declared by the Portuguese government

Image of Praia do Camilo beach on Portugal's Algarve.

Image of Praia do Camilo beach on Portugal's Algarve. Credit: Pawel Kazmierczak/Shutterstock.com

The Portuguese government has declared a three-day ‘state of alarm’ due to the risk of wildfires from an expected heatwave.

On Friday, August 19, Jose Luis Carneiro, the Portuguese minister of internal administration, announced that a three-day ‘state of alert’ was being declared throughout the country. It comes into force from midnight on Saturday, August 20 through to Tuesday, August 23.

This latest alert is due to the risk of wildfires. “We have taken the decision to determine the alert situation for the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – with a review on Monday evening, with a view to reassessing the need to maintain or change the alert situation. All this applies to the mainland”, said Carneiro.

The decision on a ‘state of alert’ was reached after a meeting in Carnaxide, located to the west of Lisbon. It was attended by emergency commanders at the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), as well as government officials. Following the meeting, Jose Luis Carneiro made his announcement.

Temperatures are once again expected to reach maximums of around 38°C from today, Saturday. This period of heat will be the third such heatwave to hit Portugal this summer.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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