LISBON, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) said on Monday that practically the entire territory of mainland Portugal is at "maximum, very high and high risk" of wildfires.
According to the IPMA, about 60 municipalities in the districts of Braganca, Vila Real, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Santarem and Faro are at "maximum risk."
Almost all the other municipalities are at "very high and high risk," except for only 40 coastal municipalities.
According to IPMA, the risk of wildfires "will remain high in the coming days."
To determine alert levels, the IPMA performs calculations based on information on temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.
The risk of wildfires is aggravated by a heat wave ravaging especially the southern regions of the country.
Earlier on Monday, 58 aircraft were deployed to fight a record 160 wildfires across the country.
The country's Home Affairs Minister Eduardo Cabrita told reporters that the efforts to control the wildfires were "encouraging." Enditem
