N A statement released at 5:30 PM on Facebook, the Covilhã municipality in Castelo Branco district noted that the Teixeira fire front moved past Pedras Lavradas and is advancing violently towards Trigas, Erada parish.
The municipality is confining the locality of Trigais and closing the National Highway (EN) 230 between Erada and Trigais annex.
The Meãs fire front in Pampilhosa da Serra, Coimbra district, is advancing towards São Jorge da Beira, according to municipal officials.
The Covilhã Council urges residents to exercise “extreme caution” and avoid traveling on the roads in these areas.
On Friday, the Covilhã Council activated the Municipal Emergency and Civil Protection Plan, creating necessary conditions and deploying support mechanisms for firefighting operations after the fire spread from Arganil to Sobral de São Miguel and São Jorge da Beira in the morning.
The fire, which began early Wednesday in Piódão (Arganil), spread to the adjoining municipalities of Oliveira do Hospital and Pampilhosa da Serra in Coimbra district, as well as Seia (Guarda) and Covilhã (Castelo Branco).
As of 6:30 PM, 937 personnel, supported by 315 vehicles and ten aerial resources, were battling the Arganil fire, according to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection’s website.
Portugal’s mainland has been affected by numerous rural fires since July, predominantly in the North and Central regions, amid high temperatures that prompted a state of alert, effective until Sunday.
These fires resulted in one death and several injuries, mostly minor, and led to the destruction of multiple primary and secondary residences, agricultural facilities, and forested areas.
Portugal has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, anticipating the arrival of two Fire Boss aircraft on Monday to bolster firefighting efforts.
Provisional official data indicate that by August 16, 139,000 hectares had burned across the country, 17 times more than during the same period in 2024. Nearly half of that area was scorched within just two days this week.
