Portugal: Firefighters battle multiple wildfires amid heatwave

The Portuguese government opted to implement a "state of contingency" from Monday July 11 to 15, in response to wildfires burning across the central and northern part of the country. Some 2,800 firefighters are engaged in battling the fires which were spawned in part by a heat wave. At least 29 people, both civilians and firefighters, have been treated for breathing problems and exhaustion in connection with the wildfires. The fires, burning since Thursday, have already claimed two homes. More than 700 soldiers were dispatched to the area Sunday after the fires destroyed an estimated 1,500 hectares of vegetation, the Civil Protection agency said.
The blazes come amid an intense heatwave in Portugal, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius this week and expected to rise in the coming days. Scientists say extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts are linked to the climate crisis. Extreme drought affected 28% of the country last month. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa cancelled a scheduled trip to Mozambique to monitor the wildfires. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also cancelled a trip to New York where he was to speak at the UN economic council.Costa asked everyone to exercise caution outdoors when it comes to anything that can cause a spark leading to a blaze.Portugal's neighbor on the Iberian Peninsula has also endured wildfires in recent years. In Spain, authorities evacuated some thirty homes due to the threat of wildfires.