Prime Minister of Portugal, antónio Costa said that a country could request aid to Russia to fighting forest fires raging in the country, RIA Novosti reported.

“We made the decision to activate the early warning mechanism the European civil protection, as well as bilateral agreements with the Russian Federation in case you need to take action, if at the end of the week, August 15, the situation will be to demand this. This means that emergency situations have not yet introduced, only a preliminary decision about readiness,” — said at a press conference following an emergency meeting of the government Prime Minister, quoted by Portuguese newspaper El Publico.

Before the Prime Minister interrupted his vacation and called an emergency meeting due to the fact that the situation on the Portuguese island of Madeira is getting out of control the fire rages in the main city of the island of Funchal.

Earlier it became known that Portugal has asked for help in fighting fires to Spain.

On the island of Madeira, where the situation is most difficult and where the fire crept to the largest city of Funchal, from other regions sent to military units and additional equipment to extinguish fires. About a thousand local residents and tourists evacuated, hundreds went to the hospital. Three people were killed, one was missing.

The fire destroyed about 30 buildings, including three hotels, including a five-star hotel Choupana Hills, the publication reports Diario de Noticias. Hundreds of tourists vacationing on the island evacuated to the local stadium and the safe areas on the Atlantic coast.

Only in Portugal were about 150 fires.