Bracing for soaring temperatures, Portugal raised its alert level to its third highest of four levels on Monday, with the government saying thousands of firefighters are ready to act, but it also urged people to prevent blazes.
Under the state of contingency, which is in place until Friday but could be extended, the government has banned the public from accessing forests deemed to be at risk and prohibited slash-and-burn land clearances.
"This is not a very normal situation," IPMA meteorologist Patrícia Gomes told SIC TV. "It is serious in all aspects - even for our health... it is not usual to see such long periods with such high temperatures." With human-caused climate change triggering droughts, the number of extreme wildfires is expected to increase 30% within the next 28 years, according to a February 2022 U.N. report.Prime Minister António Costa said 13,000 firefighters were available to combat blazes but warned they would only be able to do so if people cooperate: "Each one of us has an important role to play: not putting out fires but preventing them.
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