The Government of Portugal declared a wildfire alert on 03 August, due to a severe heatwave and heightened risk of wildfires. The heatwave, caused by a hot air mass from North Africa, is expected to bring temperatures up to 44 degrees Celsius. In response, the government has reinforced firefighting forces, security services, and implemented bans on fire-starting activities. Similar alerts have been issued in other Southern European countries, including France, where the department of Aude is on red alert, and Spain, where several regions are on orange alert due to temperatures being 5 to 10°C above seasonal averages.