Portugal declares state of alert as extreme heat grips country

LISBON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government said on Thursday that a nationwide state of alert will take effect from Friday as extreme heat are expected to last till next Monday. Exceptional emergency measures will also be taken to reduce wildfire risks.

Portugal's Interior Minister Luis Neves made the announcement following a meeting of the Integrated Prevention and Operations Command (CIPO) at the Leiria Fire Brigade, warning of a "very significant deterioration in weather conditions."

"For major emergencies, the government will issue a state of alert, which involves exceptional measures for extraordinary and difficult circumstances and also triggers emergency legislation," Neves said, calling on all citizens to cooperate.

Under the emergency measures, work in forest areas involving any type of machinery will be prohibited, except for operations directly related to combating rural wildfires. Brush-cutting equipment with metal blades or discs will be banned to be used in other rural areas. Setting off fireworks are also prohibited.

According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), 12 of the 18 districts on Portugal's mainland will be under red alert -- the highest level on a three-tier scale -- from Thursday till at least Saturday due to forecast of "extremely high temperature".

The remaining six districts are also under elevated warning levels, meaning that virtually the entire mainland area faces maximum or very high wildfire risk.