(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 10 - Thousands of firefighters, soldiers with vehicles and airplanes are at work in Portugal to try to contain eight violent fires that have hit the center and the north of the country, while temperatures sometimes exceed 40 degrees and the wind feeds the flames.
The Portuguese government has declared a state of emergency from Monday to Friday.
This was reported by the Efe agency.
Portuguese Civil Defense said nearly 1,500 soldiers, 500 vehicles and 15 airplanes are working to contain eight fires that have been going on since noon.
In the central city of Ourém, more than 700 firefighters are trying to put out a fire that has raged since Thursday.
About 40 kilometers north of Ourém, the fire in Pombal has hit three municipalities and has been underway since Friday, with nearly 450 firefighters at work to contain the flames.
Authorities have warned that, according to available weather models, temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, strong winds, thunderstorms and droughts increase the risk of fires.
Yesterday 125 forest fires were recorded, the highest number in 2022, according to the Civil Protection.
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