The mayor of Covilhã, Vítor Pereira, stated in remarks to RTP that “the strategy is very well delineated and assembled,” anticipating that conditions will be favorable “from four in the morning, allowing the fire to possibly be brought under control by morning.”
The fire ignited in the afternoon in Sobral de São Miguel, in an area “far from the center of the municipality,” which resulted in “the initial resources taking about 30 minutes to arrive,” said the commander of Relief Operations, also speaking to RTP. He noted that the terrain’s slope complicated operations, but currently “there is a strategy to contain the fire.”
“We are still facing many hours of work,” the commander acknowledged, explaining that at 10:00 PM, “all operational personnel were working on all fronts.”
According to the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), there are 421 operatives and 137 terrestrial combat means engaged in the Covilhã fire. The mayor emphasized the importance of four trail machines that have enabled the opening of access routes for fire trucks.
Besides the presence of hundreds of personnel, weather conditions are expected to become favorable during the early hours of Monday, which will aid the efforts, according to the commander.
“Having the fire under control is both a wish and a conviction,” Vítor Pereira stated, emphasizing that from the outset, the priority was “to protect people.”
The Covilhã fire is one of three blazes that greatly concern authorities tonight, along with those in Vila Real and Trancoso, where about a thousand individuals are battling the flames, as per the ANEPC website.
