The municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra has been affected in several areas by a fire originating from Arganil, with the most concerning front currently posing a renewed threat to Pampilhosa da Serra via the locality of Cartamil, according to Mayor Jorge Custódio.
This locality, featuring a stream, a leisure area, and a bridge of the same name, resides in a steep valley extending south between the rugged slopes of the Açor mountain range, where several small villages are located.
“It’s the front that concerns us most; it comes from the Arganil side and is descending the Teixeira and Relvas slopes, especially Relvas. Currently, this fire is not yet in Pampilhosa [da Serra], but if it continues as expected, it will cross the waterline into Pampilhosa,” Custódio explained.
Passing the bridge in Cartamil, the nearest village in the valley below is Mata, another locality that could potentially be threatened.
Conversely, if the fire extends to the western slope, it may head toward Fajão, just two kilometers from Cartamil. Fajão is one of the most well-known and frequented localities in the area, home to the ‘Geocospe,’ the astronomical observatory of the Dark Sky Aldeias de Xisto project.
The territory of Pampilhosa da Serra also maintains an active front in the northeast of the municipality, above the village of Meãs, also resulting from the fire that began in Arganil on Wednesday, and has spread to the municipalities of Oliveira do Hospital, Seia (Guarda), and Covilhã (Castelo Branco).
Mayor Custódio noted that operational resources are on the ground but observed that firefighters, after several days battling the blaze, are exhausted.
“There are resources, but obviously the resources on the ground are limited, they are exhausted, they are tired. I still have many reignitions because the entire burned area is not yet consolidated. The resources are doing what they can, but it’s not enough,” he argued.
As of 12:00 PM, according to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection’s website, 848 operatives were combating the Arganil fire, supported by 297 vehicles and five aerial assets.
