1,300 emergency personnel battle two major wildfires

The fire that started on in the early hours of Thursday morning in Vouzela remains the most concerning in the country right now.

European firefighting resources activated on Friday by the prime minister will be concentrated on this fire, which has already burned more than 13,000 hectares of forest and scrubland and has spread from the district of Viseu into the district of Aveiro, in Águeda.

According to the ANEPC, National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection website, at 8am today there were 1,334 emergency personnel and 447 ground vehicles deployed to two major ongoing fires in Portugal: Vouzela, which broke out in Tourelhe, in the parish of Cambra, but has since spread to the municipalities of Oliveira de Frades and Tondela, also in the district of Viseu, and to Águeda, in the district of Aveiro; and a wildfire in Santo Tirso, in the district of Porto, which began yesterday afternoon.

For the time being, the Vouzela fire has mobilized 1,200 personnel, over 400 ground vehicles, and should be receiving reinforced support from Italy, Spain and Morocco in terms of Canadair firefighting planes (capable of dumping a great deal more water in a single pass than currently-employed Portuguese aircraft – between 5,000 – 6,000 litres depending on aircraft model).

The forest fire in Santo Tirso began in the Union of the Parishes of Carreira and Refojos de Riba de Ave, 3.22 pm on Saturday, according to the ANEPC website.

Weather wise, seven districts still remain under a ‘red warning for heat’: Portalegre, Évora, Beja, Santarém, Lisboa, Setúbal and Castelo Branco. Temperatures in those districts are likely to stay in the 40ºC throughout the day, although the understanding is that temperatures are slowly going to fall into the course of next week.

The country’s ‘situation of alert’ remains in place until midnight tonight. Minister for the Interior, Luís Neves, has intimated that it could be extended.

One positive is that word from Civil Protection command is that they are hoping to get to the point of ‘dominating’ the Vouzela fire in 24-48-hours. A great deal depends on atmospheric conditions, winds particularly.

As to damages caused by this fire, it is probably too early to make any comprehensive calculations. Two families have lost their homes; two people have been seriously injured, and a number of others have sustained minor injuries.

Source material: LUSA/ SIC Notícias

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.