In a statement made at 5:20 PM, the president of the Arganil Municipality explained that the fire raging in the area continues to have multiple fronts, with several villages threatened by the flames.
“The village of Benfeita and the parish of Pomares are the most concerning areas on the fire line. The fire has reached the upper part of the Margaraça forest. We believe that a good portion of it has the ability to regenerate. The main core of the forest contained the flames which extinguished within it,” stated Luís Paulo Costa.
The parish seat of Benfeita is a schist village in the Arganil municipality near the Margaraça Forest, one of the country’s most important deciduous forests.
This village is located next to the Serra do Açor Protected Landscape Area, near the Pena Rock.
The parish of Pomares, besides the main seat, includes the locations of Agroal, Barrigueiro, Barroja, Corgas, Espinho, Foz da Moura, Portelinha, Porto Silvado, Sobral Magro, Sobral Gordo, Sorgaçosa, Soito da Ruiva, and Vale do Torno.
The mayor considers the situation to be “quite complicated” and emphasized that the main goal is to “try to minimize damage to people and property.”
As of 5:35 PM, according to the portal of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection, the Arganil fire was being tackled by 1,044 operatives, supported by 345 vehicles and six aerial resources.
Portugal has been on alert due to fire risk since August 2, and in recent weeks, several fires in the north and center of the country have burned through more than half of the approximately 75,000 hectares of area destroyed this year.
The alert situation has been extended until Sunday, announced the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, following a visit to ANEPC on Thursday.
“In light of the adversity of 22 consecutive days of intense heat showing no signs of abating, the Government will extend the alert situation until Sunday,” the minister announced to reporters.
Maria Lúcia Amaral emphasized that all restrictions and prohibitions imposed by the heightened fire risk alert remain in place.
