Portével confirms it will receive military aid from Spain to fight fires

The Portugal government has confirmed that a military aid unit will be sent from Spain following the activation of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and bilateral agreements between Spain and Morocco, due to the risk of critical forest fires across the country. Secretary of State for Civil Protection Rui Rocha announced that this Emergency Military Unit, consisting of about 30 vehicles and tasked with surveillance, reconnaissance, rescue, and operational support rather than direct extinguishing, will arrive in the country within the next few hours. Rocha, noting that military support from Spain was requested for the first time, emphasized that cooperation between the two countries is vital in this period when fires are becoming increasingly frequent and severe in the Iberian Peninsula. This external support will enable Portuguese authorities to strengthen their equipment preventively before exhausting their own resources and reduce the need for constant dispatch between different regions.

Weather conditions across the country are making intervention extremely difficult, with a picture of very high temperatures, very low humidity, and effective wind. According to official estimates, these adverse conditions conducive to the rapid spread of fires are expected to continue at least until the beginning of the week, while Civil Protection officials described the situation as "very critical." Although it is known that about 93% of fires in Portugal are brought under control within the first 90 minutes, warnings have been issued that in conditions where meteorological conditions are this poor, fires carry the risk of growing uncontrollably and spreading to large areas. Currently, the risk level is at its highest over a wide area extending from near the capital Lisbon to Porto and especially in the interior northern regions.

While the situation of the fires on the ground follows an extremely complex and "extremely challenging" course, Mário Silvestre, Commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), reported that five major fires are being actively fought simultaneously across the country. The biggest source of concern is the ongoing fire in the Vouzela region in the center of the country, where intensive work is being carried out with over 1,100 firefighters, 373 land vehicles, and five aircraft. It is stated that the fire in Vouzela has destroyed about 10,000 hectares so far, and officials expressed that they are focused on preventing the flames from jumping to the mountainous region of Serra do Caramulo, which hosts many villages. Additionally, fires in Barcelos, Tâmega e Sousa, Cinfães, the Setúbal peninsula, and Arouca within the Porto metropolitan area are also being closely monitored and are causing concern.

Portugal Prime Minister Luís Montenegro clarified in his statement regarding the issue that they took this step not because national resources were exhausted, but to increase firefighting capacity early and strongly in view of the current risk level. The Council of Ministers had decided to activate both the European Union's aid mechanism and bilateral agreements with neighboring countries on the assessment that the entire country is under high risk. Official statements during the day once again revealed Portugal's need for international cooperation in crisis management and confirmed that the dispatch process for support from Spain and Morocco had begun. This move aims to lighten the load on local teams and make the strategy of suppressing fires at the start more effective.

According to Protection Civil, the latest data show that a total of 92 incidents were recorded across the country throughout the day and were responded to by 3,025 personnel. It has been reported that there have been nine injured people in fires that caused very serious damage so far, two of whom are in serious condition and both are civilians. The wind is expected to increase in intensity during the night hours, while officials asked citizens, especially in the interior regions, to exercise the utmost caution and called for caution against the possibility of new fires. The military unit to arrive from Spain is planned to provide a strategic space to existing firefighting forces by providing logistical support and operational backup. Such international support strengthens Portugal's solidarity with its allies in similar disaster situations.