In a report to Lusa at approximately 07:30, Pedro Araújo highlighted that the most significant fires on Friday morning were in Ponte da Barca (Viana do Castelo) and Penafiel (Porto), with fires in Arouca (Aveiro) and Paredes (Porto) either dominated or in the aftermath phase.
Regarding the situation in Ponte da Barca, it was reported that the fire had two active fronts in forest and scrubland, with firefighters setting “perimeter defenses” to protect the villages of Paradela and Sobredo.
One of the fire fronts is heading towards those two localities, but they are not in danger, he stated.
The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) noted that this fire, burning since Sunday, involved 658 personnel supported by 227 land means as of 07:30.
As for the Penafiel fire, it also maintained two active fronts, one of them near houses, though none of them posed an immediate risk. On the ground were 230 personnel and 67 vehicles.
More than 2,500 operatives are on the ground
In total, there are 2,589 operatives fighting the wildfires across the continent, supported by 949 vehicles and one aerial resource, which is monitoring nocturnal and diurnal fires, notably gathering thermal camera images to assist in strategy definition.
On Thursday, the firefighting efforts resulted in approximately 30 minor injuries, mostly among Civil Protection personnel, with cases of intoxications, sprains, and falls resulting in abrasions, according to the same source.
In Ponte da Barca, 21 people, including two civilians, received assistance on-site or at the hospital. In Arouca, eight minor injuries were reported, all involving Civil Protection personnel, while in Penafiel, three firefighters were taken to the hospital.
