The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) provided an update on fire combat efforts this Sunday, stating that by 7 PM today, 108 incidents had been recorded, 30 of which occurred overnight.
“Despite this and despite the effort, note that during yesterday, the initial attack’s cessation was 95.6%”, stated the National Commander, Mário Silvestre, at a press conference at ANEPC headquarters in Carnaxide, Lisbon.
The official also highlighted that in the Tâmega and Sousa regions and the Metropolitan Area of Porto, 34 and 21 incidents, respectively, had been recorded by 7 PM.
“The most significant ongoing incidents at this hour are Sirarelhos in Vila Real, Alvadia in Ribeira de Pena, Freches and Torres in Trancoso, and Covilhã,” he said, explaining that these incidents involve 1,245 operators and 19 extended attack aerial resources.
The commander discussed the incidents in more detail, noting that the Trancoso incident resulted from today’s “reactivation.” Here, weather conditions caused the fire to “spread at a speed of around 4 km/h with exceptional intensity,” meaning in some areas the fire was “beyond suppression capacity.”
“It was necessary to manage that fire because direct action on the fire heads that emerged was impossible for local and aerial resources,” he explained, noting that according to forecasts, the flames are expected to head towards the villages of Moreira do Rei, Golfar, and Souto Maior. “We expect a loss of intensity during the night with a window of opportunity to combat the fire between midnight and 8 AM”, he stated.
[News in update]
