Lisbon, Aug. 21, 2025 (Lusa) - On Friday, Portugal will receive two Canadair aircraft made available by Greece to reinforce the fight against rural fires until 25 August, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on Thursday.

The aircraft, made available under the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, "will be deployed from Monte Real Air Base", in the municipality of Leiria, "will be part of the Special Rural Fire Fighting System" as of Friday, and will remain in Portugal until 25 August.

According to the government, on 15 August, Portugal requested the support of four Canadair aircraft to fight the rural fires through the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, with Sweden providing two Fire Boss aircraft and France a Super Puma helicopter, "accompanied by a crew of five".

The Swedish aircraft arrived on Monday and the French aircraft on Wednesday, all of which began operating the day after they landed in Portugal, according to the information provided in recent days by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).

The four aeroplanes and one helicopter are in addition to the two Canadair aircraft that the Portuguese authorities have rented.

Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple rural fires since July, especially in the North and Centre regions, in a context of high temperatures that led to the declaration of an alert situation on 2 August.

The fires have caused three deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, most of them minor, and have totally or partially destroyed first and second homes, as well as agricultural and livestock holdings and forest areas.

According to provisional official figures, by 19 August, more than 201,000 hectares had burned in the country, more than the area burned in the whole of 2024.

IB/ADB // ADB.

Lusa