Portugal declares alert as extreme heat raises wildfire risk

The Portuguese government said on Thursday that a nationwide state of alert will take effect from Friday as extreme heat is expected to last until 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.

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 until at least Saturday due to forecasts of "extremely high temperatures."

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

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. The use of brush-cutting equipment with metal blades or discs will also be banned in other rural areas. Setting off fireworks will also be prohibited.

Meanwhile, electricity consumption in Portugal reached a record 27,200 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the first half of 2026, up 3.5% from a year earlier, national grid operator REN reported on Thursday.

The figure exceeded the previous record, set in the first half of 2025, by about 900 GWh.

Renewable energy sources accounted for 71% of total electricity consumption during the six-month period.