Portugal and Spain prepare for wildfires as forecasters predict heat wave

A heat wave is expected to bring scorching temperatures and the threat of wildfires to Spain and Portugal (Paul White/AP)

Spain and Portugal are bracing for temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days as a mass of hot, dry air from Africa pushes north into the Iberian peninsula.

Portugal’s prime minister warned on Wednesday that the hot weather increases the threat of wildfires, which in 2017 killed more than 100 people in his country.