Officials say this alert comes following continued warm weather accompanied by strong winds, especially in high-lying and forested areas. Civil Protection authorities have also banned controlled fires in northern and central regions of the country due to the heightened risk of them spreading and reaching uncontrollable proportions. Weather forecasts on Thursday pointed towards meteorological conditions being “unfavourable” for wild fires, with maximum temperatures of between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country, low humidity, and windy conditions that will only begin to ease towards Sunday. The met office placed the counties of Pampilhosa da Serra (Coimbra) and Monchique (Faro) on a maximum alert of fire risk on Thursday, while another 26 counties were placed on high alert, following the Civil Protection service’s warning. On Thursday morning five forest fires were being fought in northern Portugal, involving close to 100 firemen and woman and 33 vehicles. The largest was a fire that broke out in the Peneda-Gerês national park region in Ponte de Barca (Vila Real). Thursday morning dozens of firefighters were still trying to bring that raging fire under control, which was being fuelled by the blustery conditions. Fire-fighting aircraft were dispatched to try and help stop the fast-travelling flames. In related news, a fire in a restaurant in Lagos (Algarve) caused concern on Wednesday night. One person was injured in the blaze, which broke out in the Miam Miam restaurant in the heart of the historic city. The blaze is believed to have started in the restaurant’s kitchen, due to hot oil, and injured the chef.