In recent days, several striking videos have emerged showing the wildfires that have been devastating mainland Portugal, particularly the central and northern regions, over the past two weeks.
From fire ‘tornadoes’ to the plight of people facing the risk of losing their homes, to the bravery of firefighters battling the flames, many shocking and emotional records have been shared online.
One of the latest was captured in Piódão, Coimbra, by a firefighter.
The footage, later shared on the Instagram account Soldados da Paz, depicts a fire truck advancing through the flames to fight the blaze, accompanied by words of encouragement from the “vehicle chief.” “Don’t stop! Ricardo, don’t stop! Slowly, as we don’t know what’s on the other side. Attention, slowly, slowly, slowly. Always to that side, always more to that side,” the firefighter tells his colleague driving.
“Let’s go!” is heard with some relief in the voice, after passing through the ‘corridor’ of flames leading them to the combat zone.
The footage, which has been viewed thousands of times and shared just as many, has received numerous accolades. “Great,” “enormous respect,” and “brave” are just some of the words written by users.
“It is impressive and much more impressive than the fire is the courage of the firefighters,” reads another comment on social media platform X, where the images were also shared.
The Soldados da Paz highlighted that “the firefighters have faced extreme scenarios in the theaters of operations,” emphasizing “the unconditional support of the vehicle chief to the driver throughout the journey” depicted in the video.
Additionally, in the last hours, a video surfaced on Facebook, filmed by a resident of Aldeia da Barroja in Arganil, in the district of Coimbra, who found her home surrounded by fire.
“We are completely surrounded now,” can be heard from the woman, in a state of panic.
The footage shows the fire near the residence, and it is evident that it was very windy at the time of recording.
The fire raging in Arganil, in the district of Coimbra, is one of the authorities’ major concerns. A resident of Aldeia da Barroja recorded the moment her home was surrounded by flames.
Notícias ao Minuto | 08:03 – 18/08/2025
More than 80 municipalities remain at maximum risk
On Monday, August 18, more than 80 municipalities in the northern and central interior and the Algarve remain today at maximum risk of rural fire, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
According to IPMA, over 80 municipalities in the districts of Braga, Vila Real, Bragança, Guarda, Coimbra, Santarém, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, and Faro are at maximum fire risk.
IPMA has also placed several municipalities in Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Santarém, Évora, Beja, and Faro at very high risk.
On Sunday, the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, announced that the government decided to “extend the alert situation for another 48 hours” due to the fires, until midnight on Tuesday.
