Brussels, May 26, 2026 (Lusa) – Portugal's government is anticipating the risk of wildfires in the Leiria region, having cleared more than 15,000 kilometres of forest paths and deployed 300 men to the areas affected by January and February storms, where fallen trees remain.

Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes said on Tuesday in Brussels that authorities were making every effort, highlighting that "more than 15,000 kilometres of forest paths have already been cleared."

The minister told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting with his European Union (EU) counterparts that "since 28 January, 300 men from the ICNF [Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests] have been permanently in that territory." He said that the government established an integrated operations centre in Leiria where the interior ministry, the defence ministry, and the agriculture ministry are working together in a coordinated manner, noting that "this had never happened before."

He said, however, that "if the owners of land affected by the storms in the Leiria area do not clear it, we will do so."

Temperatures are rising, which increases the risk of forest fires and led Fernandes to anticipate "a very tough summer."

"We want the owners to remove the fallen wood, and we are providing between €1,000 and €1,500 in these critical areas," he said.

He said that a second tender for the environmental fund will finance controlled burning, with an expected allocation of an additional €1 million.

IG/RYOL // ADB.

Lusa