Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Friday that Portugal has requested the European Union, Spain and Morocco to ready additional firefighting aircraft in anticipation of worsening forest fires during the current heatwave.
He indicated that this unusual step was not driven by a shortage of national resources, but rather by what he described as an "exceptional situation" the country would face in the coming days, as "the entire country faces a severe risk of forest fires breaking out."
Speaking at a press conference explaining why Lisbon had activated the EU's civil protection mechanism and bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco, he said: "We believe it is better to receive support from our EU allies and our closest neighbours rather than divert resources from other parts of the country where they are currently deployed."
Parts of mainland Portugal are under red weather warnings issued by the national meteorological authority, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.
Portugal is on alert until late Monday, with authorities having imposed restrictions on access to certain forest areas and banned work in those areas using machinery.
Civil protection authorities said more than 2,800 firefighters, supported by around 864 vehicles and 32 aircraft, took part on Friday in combating six forest fires in scattered areas across Portugal, with the largest breaking out in the Viseu region in the centre of the country.