The municipalities of Loulé, Sant Bras de Alportel and Tavira in the district of Faro present the highest fire risk today, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), which predicts an increase in temperatures from this Friday. .
Municipalities of Lagos, Portimão, Monchique, Silves, Alcoutim and Castro Marim (Faro), Almodovar (Beja), Gavian (Portalegre), Masao (Santaren), Vila Velha de Rodao, Proenza a Nova and Fundão (Castelo Branco) present a very high fire risk today.
IPMA has also placed about 40 municipalities in Bragança, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Santarém, Lisbon, Évora, Beja and Faro at high risk for rural fires.
According to IPMA, the risk of fire will increase due to the forecast of hot weather from today until at least Tuesday.
The fire danger defined by IPMA has five levels, from low to high, and calculations are made based on air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and rainfall over the past 24 hours.
IPMA predicts continued hot and dry weather over the next few days in the northern and central regions, highlighting maximum temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius, in the interior of the southern region and in the interior of the Tagus Valley. , in the rest of the territory above 30 degrees.
Due to the IPMA forecast, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Administration (ANEPC) warned of a high risk of fires on the mainland.
ANEPC warns of an increase in the number of cases of rural fires and the complexity of extinguishing operations, especially in the south and deep in the center and north.
As a preventive measure, ANEPC recalls that it is prohibited by law to burn on a large scale or in agglomerations without the permission of local authorities.
On days of very high and maximum fire danger, it is also prohibited to use fire for cooking throughout the countryside, except outside critical areas and in specially designated places, as well as fumigation or disinsection in apiaries, except when fumigators have spark arresters and use brush cutters, brush cutters and shredders.
Since the beginning of the year, 3629 fires have already affected 8629 hectares of rural areas.