The emergency plan was activated at 8:00 p.m. today and will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, with possible extensions depending on the situation’s progression, as stated in the municipal president Sérgio Costa’s decree obtained by Lusa.
The measure is justified by “uncontrolled fires burning in the Guarda municipality and neighboring areas, which may last for 24 hours or longer, causing damage to populations, property, and the environment, thereby necessitating the immediate adoption of exceptional prevention, planning, and information measures.”
Tonight, the municipality is facing several active fire fronts, some of which have advanced from Sabugal, where 181 personnel and 51 vehicles are engaged, as reported by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) website.
Another unresolved fire in the opposite side of the municipality started on Friday in Pêra do Moço due to reignitions.
This fire currently involves 159 firefighters and 59 vehicles, according to ANEPC.
Active fires also persist in the municipalities of Pinhel and Sabugal, mobilizing more than a hundred firefighters.
With the activation of the municipal emergency plan, “civil protection agents and municipal employees, according to the law, can be mobilized for the indicated situation.”
During the implementation of the PMEPC, the previously contracted machinery for rural area operations should be maintained at the municipality’s disposal under the responsibility of the Municipal Civil Protection Service, to support firefighting operations in rural areas, if necessary.
“All material and human resources of the Guarda municipality may also be mobilized to support the operations of fighting, mopping up, and monitoring rural fires in the municipality,” the decree states.
The plan also allows the release of municipal employees who are active firefighters in the three firefighting corps of the municipality (Guarda, Gonçalo, and Famalicão da Serra).
These measures should be applied “immediately and entirely,” with the municipality empowered to prohibit access, circulation, and presence within all areas classified as forest areas in the Municipal Master Plan, except as legally permitted.
The Guarda City Council may also request the National Republican Guard (GNR) to “increase surveillance” in all rural and forest areas of the territory.
