Ana Silva, a recent resident of Paredes, expressed concern over her barn containing hay, rabbits, and chickens. She, along with around 10 others equipped with brooms and homemade beaters, attempted to extinguish the rekindling flames and prevent their spread towards her barn.
“At least to protect the year’s worth of hay, or we won’t have anything to feed the cattle,” she stated to Lusa, emphasizing the community’s effort to also safeguard Paredes’ “lung.”
The mature pine forest near the village, impacted by a fire that began on August 2 in Sirarelhos, Vila Real, continues to burn. This is the 25th village affected by the fire, which snaked through the Alvão hills, reached completion twice, yet reignited.
From Paredes, the blaze advanced towards Benagouro and Vilarinho da Samardã.
Members of the Civil Protection Special Force were on-site with the villagers, while firefighters and GNR military units spread throughout the village.
“They do what they can, but the houses are the top priority. I’m very worried, especially since it’s my first year living here. It’s been an afternoon of alarm,” Ana Silva remarked.
Adelaide Coutinho relocated her 55 goats, two horses, and two cows from their barn closer to her home. Her goats are now sheltered in a small, enclosed football field.
“I had to move them to save them. The fire passed through, but thanks to God, my children managed to save them,” she said.
The blaze destroyed the pastures for the animals. “What now? We have to shell out money to feed them,” the shepherd lamented while watering her backyard for fear of falling sparks.
Adelaide Coutinho mentioned her surprise at how close the fire came to the village. “It was very frightening,” she expressed.
Below, Jaime Coutinho was also watering around his home, suspecting arson and lamenting “that no one puts an end to this.” “It’s all done by hand, with lighters, with whatever,” he considered.
Emigrant Marcelo Escaleira from France described the afternoon as alarming. “The fire is very dangerous, and we fear it could encircle the village,” he noted.
The villagers recalled past fires that hit here in 2005, 2017, 2022, and now again in 2025.
“The village’s lung, the Paredes forest, is burning again. This part burnt in 2005, was horrible, had become beautiful again, and now, once more, it’s all burning,” he stressed.
Carla Mezia described the scene as “chaos.” “From nothing to nothing it spread, engulfing everything. Our forest was beautiful, green, providing us fresh air, now it’s all gone,” she noted.
Carla also expressed concern about her home and the uncleared land in front of it, which they are not allowed to clean.
According to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection’s website, by 21:15, 483 operatives and 163 vehicles were deployed to combat the fire.
