Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso's government asked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Tuesday to provide up to six Canadair water-dropping aircraft along with three heavy-duty helicopters and crews.

"We're going to contact member states to see who has what available," a spokesman for the 19-nation military alliance, Yves Brodeur, told AFP, expressing hope for a positive reply by the end of Wednesday.

But he added: "There are few countries which possess such capabilities and those which have are using them -- that's going to complicate the task."

NATO itself does not possess water-dropping planes or helicopters.

The alliance intervened last year to coordinate emergency help for the Czech Republic, which like Portugal is a NATO member, after devastating floods.

Portugal, which has also appealed for disaster relief funds from the European Union, has already received water-dropping aircraft from Italy, Morocco and Spain.

Lisbon declared a national disaster on Monday as the fires, described as the worst in the nation's history, ravaged more than 50,000 hectaresacres) in central and southern Portugal.

WAR.WIRE