Lisbon [Portugal], August 8: Portugal registers 70 municipalities in northern and central regions of the country in "maximum danger of rural fire," the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) reported on Sunday.
In addition, the IPMA classified another 60 Portuguese municipalities as having a "very high risk of rural fire."
The fire risk, according to the IPMA, is classified into five levels, namely "low, moderate, high, very high, and maximum," according to calculations from the temperature and relative humidity of the air, besides the speed of wind and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.
The only places with forecasts of "cloudy skies and the possibility of light rains" are located on Portugal's north and central coast.
On Sunday, more than 435 operational agents, supported by 125 vehicles and 12 air assets, are fighting a major fire in the municipality of Covilha, on the border with Spain, the Portuguese Civil Protection said.
Roads in the region were cut, and three firefighters were hospitalized, the District Command of Relief Operations (CDOS) said.
Source: Xinhua
