The mayor of Ponte da Barca in the district of Viana do Castelo announced that residents of the Igreja, Britelo, Sobredo, Germil, and Lourido areas, in the Amarela Mountain of the Peneda-Gerês National Park (PNPG), are being gathered at designated Safe Village points in each location for transfer to the school center of Entre Ambos-os-Rios.
“We are evacuating these people due to safety concerns. The fire front is very large and advancing with great intensity towards some areas. The goal is to prevent populations from being surrounded and also due to the intense smoke affecting the area,” stated Augusto Marinho.
The PNPG covers the districts of Braga (municipality of Terras de Bouro), Viana do Castelo (municipalities of Melgaço, Arcos de Valdevez, and Ponte da Barca), and Vila Real (municipality of Montalegre), spanning a total area of approximately 70,290 hectares.
The fire, which started on Saturday in Ponte da Barca within the PNPG, spread this morning to the neighboring municipality of Terras de Bouro, in the Braga district.
The social-democratic mayor confirmed that, as of 10:29 PM, “no houses have been consumed by the flames, and no injuries have been reported” in Ponte da Barca.
“We haven’t yet, but we have been very lucky,” he emphasized.
In the early evening, the deputy mayor of Ponte da Barca, José Alfredo, described the ongoing fire since Saturday night as “a stab in the heart” of the PNPG, the country’s only national park.
“The heart of the PNPG is literally burning. Today the park suffers a severe blow. The impacts of this fire will have very long-term effects,” he said.
This afternoon, the mayor stated he had requested the Government to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism or other bilateral agreements with other countries to combat the fire in the PNPG.
“I spoke with the Minister of Internal Administration. I asked her to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism or bilateral agreements with Spain or other countries deemed quicker to help combat this disaster, both in Ponte da Barca and the country,” Augusto Marinho told Lusa.
The social-democratic mayor’s request follows several previous appeals to the Government, with no success, for reinforcements in aerial resources to combat the fire that began in the PNPG on Saturday.
“It is impossible to fight this fire with just one aerial resource. This sentence sums it all up. I am indignant, outraged,” said Augusto Marinho.
According to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) website, by 10:35 PM, the fire that broke out on Saturday night was being tackled by 401 operatives, supported by 139 vehicles.
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