The mayor of Vila Real, Alexandre Favaios, described the first assessment of the rural fire that erupted on Saturday night in Sirarelhos and was brought under control by 7:45 a.m. today.
“The damage to our biodiversity and the Alvão Natural Park [PNA] will take years to recover. We are talking about over 3,000 hectares of burnt area,” stated the mayor.
Favaios also noted the impact on agriculture, mentioning that evaluating the damages will be the “mission for the coming days.”
“Obviously, the balance in this aspect is extremely negative. Despite everything, the positive aspect is that no house was consumed or even damaged,” he remarked, recalling the fire’s intensity and vast scale, which affected several villages.
The mayor of Mondim de Basto, Bruno Ferreira, reported that in his municipality, where the affected area represents one-third of the total burnt area from this fire, the main damage occurred in the forest and landscape.
“We have seen over 1,000 hectares burn in our municipality, and the PNA has also been affected, raising concerns from both a sustainability and economic standpoint,” the mayor told Lusa.
Additionally, significant damage was done to pastureland.
“Considering that we still practice extensive grazing, or animal feeding in the mountains, this is also a warning sign for potential future consequences,” stated Bruno Ferreira.
The mayor listed several affected activities: tourism, beekeeping, pastoralism, forestry, and resin extraction.
As a result of this fire, a vacation home, a renovated old forestry house, some apiaries, retaining walls, and the water supply infrastructure in Ermelo were destroyed in the Mondim de Basto area.
“There is an environmental and economic impact here, and a joint assessment with both municipal and national entities is needed to find solutions,” he emphasized.
However, Bruno Ferreira noted that the fire is not yet completely extinguished, so the focus remains on firefighting while also addressing minor issues that arise.
