The Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, announced on Wednesday that the government has decided to extend the state of alert due to wildfires until August 17, Sunday. The previous deadline was set for 11:59 PM on August 15.
“For 22 consecutive days, we have been suffering from an extraordinary and uninterrupted heatwave, which has caused large-scale wildfires, especially in the northern parts of the country,” the minister stated during a press conference at the national headquarters of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) in Carnaxide.
The Minister of Internal Administration emphasized her “profound solidarity with all individuals directly affected by this scourge,” and expressed “deep gratitude to everyone” on the front lines fighting these fires and “preventing these wildfires from having irreversible impacts on people’s lives and property.”
“The unity, the unbreakable perseverance, of all those combating the fires on the front lines has been remarkable. To all – firefighters, Civil Protection, security forces, and Armed Forces – our profound gratitude,” she highlighted.
The minister reiterated that “22 consecutive days of an uninterrupted heatwave evidently generate exhaustion and fatigue for those on the front lines of this battle.”
She warned: “It is important that each of us understands that no one is excluded from this collective effort, that no one is exempt from this battle which is everyone’s duty. Vigilance must be maintained, as should the individual attitude of self-restraint in the face of risks, considering that this is a national struggle, a fight for everyone.”
[News in update]
