On Saturday, the country recorded 125 fires, the highest number in one day this year, with around 1,500 firefighters currently battling three major blazes. The Portuguese government has declared a state of emergency throughout the country from Monday to Friday, July 15. Next week’s weather has raised further concerns due to high temperatures. From Tuesday, Portugal’s meteorological service is forecasting temperatures of up to 45C (113F) in Alentejo – the region between Lisbon and the Algarve – with the rest of the country expecting temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. The agency added that winds of nearly 40 mph were expected in several areas. Last month, many parts of western Europe experienced unusually high temperatures, with wildfires breaking out in countries such as Spain and experts linking the unusually hot spell for Europe to climate change. The Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, has canceled his trip to the United Nations meeting in New York next week. While some small villages in Portugal were evacuated on Saturday, only a few houses were damaged. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa asked the public on Twitter to avoid using fire engines or heavy machinery because of the risk of more fires. Portugal has faced many forest fires in recent years due to high temperatures.
