Morocco Sends Two Canadair Aircraft to Portugal to Assist in Fighting Wildfires

Morocco has decided to assist Portugal by sending two Canadair aircraft specialized in firefighting. This intervention comes in response to a request for assistance from Lisbon, activating the bilateral cooperation mechanism following the decommissioning of two of Portugal’s own aircraft, as announced by the Portuguese Ministry of the Interior on Monday.

The two Moroccan planes will be integrated into Portugal’s firefighting efforts until the end of the week, according to the official statement.

Since Monday afternoon, Portugal has been battling four major wildfires, primarily located in the northern and central regions of the country. More than 1,600 firefighters, 528 vehicles, and 28 air resources have been mobilized to try to control the flames, according to José Ribeiro, the National Commander of Civil Protection.

Since the beginning of the year, nearly 60,000 hectares of vegetation have already been ravaged by wildfires in Portugal, according to provisional data from the National Institute of Forests.