Portugal’s mainland has been battling rural fires for over two weeks, a crisis that persists as of this Monday, August 18.
In response to the ongoing fires and the presence of “unfavorable conditions,” the government announced on Sunday that the alert status due to the rural fires will be extended until tomorrow, Tuesday, August 19.
On Sunday, a firefighter from Covilhã died while en route to a fire, and four others sustained serious injuries. This marks the second fatality related to the fires this year. The first was Carlos Dâmaso, a former local government official of Vila Franca do Deão, who perished while combating the flames on a family property in Vila Franca do Deão.
