Bruno Sarmento informed journalists that weather forecasts predict an increase in relative humidity and a decrease in wind speed, which may contribute to the wildfire being contained in the coming hours.
The official stated that the wildfire front, which ignited at 7:30 a.m. today, is yielding to the efforts of the response teams despite burning in bushland areas with difficult access.
At this time, no villages are reported to be in danger.
Operatives will remain dispersed across the area, vigilant for hotspots and any reactivations.
During the afternoon, the fire approached the village of Lamas, raising concerns among the residents.
Burning in steep and rocky terrains without access, aerial resources played a crucial role in combating this fire, which broke out at 7:30 a.m. near the Olo River, in the parish of Alvadia, Alvão mountain range, in the Vila Real district.
There are currently 225 operatives and 88 vehicles on the ground, including firefighters, forestry sapper units from the Nature and Forest Conservation Institute (ICNF), GNR, and the Emergency Protection and Relief Unit (UEPS) (GNR), among others.
The Alvão mountain range covers the municipalities of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Ribeira de Pena, Vila Real, and Mondim de Basto, and was impacted by another fire on Saturday, which was under control by Wednesday morning, after burning around 3,000 hectares.
On Thursday, another blaze consumed approximately 500 hectares of the Alvão mountain range near the village of Pinduradouro in Vila Pouca de Aguiar, in an area very close to Alvadia, already in Ribeira de Pena.
The Vila Real district is under a red alert due to heat from 9 a.m. Saturday until midnight Monday, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
The government renewed the nationwide alert status on Thursday until Wednesday, August 13, due to the risk of forest fires.
