The Castelo Branco municipality announced on Facebook at 12:40 that there are currently no residences at risk, though it expressed regret over the destruction of a primary residence in Casal da Serra, located in São Vicente da Beira parish.
“The house burned completely in the early hours of the morning.”
Throughout the night and early morning, firefighting efforts concentrated around Casal da Serra, Torre, Louriçal do Campo, Caldeira neighborhood, São Vicente da Beira, and the surrounding area of the Capela da Senhora da Orada.
“Despite the fire’s calmer progression, there remains concern in the Ribeira de Eiras and Vale da Figueira area.”
Early in the morning, Leopoldo Rodrigues, the mayor of Castelo Branco, informed that the fire continued with two active fronts, one in Louriçal do Campo/Torre and another moving towards Ribeira de Eiras, in the Almaceda parish.
This fire entered Castelo Branco from the municipality of Fundão, originating in Arganil, Coimbra district, where it ignited on Wednesday at 05:00.
The fire has also spread to the municipalities of Pampilhosa da Serra and Oliveira do Hospital (Coimbra district), Seia (Guarda), and Covilhã (Castelo Branco).
The Castelo Branco municipality activated the Municipal Emergency and Civil Protection Plan late Sunday night.
Mainland Portugal has been impacted by multiple large rural fires since July, mainly in the North and Central regions.
The fires have resulted in three fatalities, including a firefighter, and several injuries, some severe, while also destroying homes both primary and secondary, as well as agricultural, livestock, and forestry areas.
Portugal activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, through which two Fire Boss planes arrived to bolster firefighting efforts.
Provisional official data indicate that by August 20, over 222,000 hectares had burned in the country, surpassing the total area burned in the entirety of 2024.
