Portuguese government warns fire risk has spiked since last year

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – The Portuguese government warned on Tuesday that the nation’s risk for wildfires is significantly elevated compared to last year.

Interior Minister Jose Luis Carneiro told media that national data shows the fire risk is up by 40% compared to the same time last year.

“In 2022, we experienced 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) heat, humidity below 10% and winds stronger than 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour, meaning the wildfire risks have increased exponentially,” he said.

Last summer, Portugal experienced a severe fire season, with nearly 105,000 acres scorched amid record heat.

It was not as deadly or extreme as the summer of 2017, when 66 people died in a series of fires in June after getting engulfed by flames in their cars.

But authorities have been working to prevent that situation from repeating.

“The military is currently on the ground across the country to raise awareness … all the areas that surround homes have to be cleaned, for example,” said Carneiro on Tuesday. “This is a collective duty.”

Carneiro also said EU authorities have already warned Mediterranean countries that “the risks this year are greater than in previous years.”

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET also warned last week that it expects a warmer-than-normal spring and summer.