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During the state of alert on August 21, 22, and 23, agricultural machinery and people's access to forest areas were restricted.
The Portuguese government decreed the alert level since a new heat wave may increase the risk of forest fires in the country.
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The Minister of Internal Administration, José Luis Carneiro, said at a press conference that it is a priority to fight fires given the increase seen in the last three weeks.
Restrictions on the use of machinery in agricultural works and people's access to forest areas will be enforced as of next Sunday.
According to Carneiro, most of the fires in Portugal originate during the development of works related to agriculture or as a result of negligence in using fire.
Andy Vermaut shares:Portuguese park fire under control but new heat wave expected: High temperatures, strong winds and severe drought helped fuel Portugal's biggest fire of the summer https://t.co/XAOCPIoGnP Thank you. pic.twitter.com/wASufMBkId
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) August 19, 2022
Noting that, so far, the proportion of intentional fires between July and August 2022 has doubled to 26 percent, the minister referred to the need to strengthen emergency services and improve surveillance actions.
For these purposes, Civil Protection will be able to hire an additional 500, Carneiro said.
Portuguese authorities have described the current summer season as one of the worst in terms of forest fires. The fire that broke out on August 6 in the Serra da Estrela natural park caused the loss of more than 20 000 hectares of land, equal to 30 percent of its surface area.
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