After an intense afternoon battling the flames, the fire has begun to yield to the firefighting efforts, though there remain concerning situations near the localities of Mós and Carviçais in the municipality of Torre de Moncorvo,” stated João Noel Afonso, the sub-regional commander of Terras de Trás-os-Montes.
In the active front of Mós/Carviçais, Civil Protection is concentrating its resources “to try to definitively control the flames affecting these two localities,” he mentioned.
The fire started early Friday afternoon in Poiares, in the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, within the Douro International Natural Park, and quickly spread to neighboring municipalities Mogadouro and Torre de Moncorvo, also in the district of Bragança.
“The night will be one of cleanup and surveillance. The first hours of Monday morning will be dedicated to monitoring the entire perimeter of this fire,” indicated João Noel Afonso, adding that good visibility is expected, allowing for the use of aerial resources.
According to the sub-regional commander of Terras de Trás-os-Montes, the fire has already consumed over 10,000 hectares of land.
According to the official website of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), at 11:00 PM, there were 361 operational personnel on the ground, supported by 124 vehicles.
This deployment is supplemented by eight tracked machines and resources from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and the National Republican Guard (GNR).
Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple rural fires since July, particularly in the North and Central regions, in a context of high temperatures that prompted the declaration of a state of alert since August 2.
The fires have caused two deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, mostly minor, and have completely or partially destroyed primary and secondary homes, as well as agricultural and livestock operations and forest areas.
Portugal has activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, under which two Fire Boss aircraft are expected to arrive on Monday to bolster firefighting efforts.
According to provisional official data, as of August 17, 172,000 hectares have burned in the country, more than the total area burned in the entire year of 2024.
