“The fire hasn’t yet reached the village, but as the night progresses, it will likely enter the vicinity. It’ll be a night of alert and concern,” stated local official José Pinheiro at 7:30 PM.
The fire reached the parish of Benfeita this morning after crossing the national road (EN 344) in the areas of the villages of Monte Frio—where the command post for the Arganil fire was set up—and Pardieiros, before entering the Mata da Margaraça. The dense and humid vegetation in this protected central area ultimately halted the fire, as it did in 2017.
José Pinheiro explained that the flames, which burned all vegetation around the village of Pardieiros, turned southwards towards the valleys where the localities of Enxudro and Sardal are situated, with the change in the wind.
“And now it has a front at the top of the mountain that will affect Pai das Donas and Luadas,” he added, referring to a group of settlements located near the Arganil section of the Portugal Rally, a well-known area for fans of the sport.
Another front is advancing north of Benfeita, near the villages of Dreia and Deflores, where firefighters are on the scene conducting containment maneuvers to safeguard the homes.
The official also mentioned that the fire likely affected the area of the Fraga da Pena waterfall, which is two kilometers from the village of Benfeita via a winding road.
“We still haven’t managed to go there because the roads around here are impassable, with fallen tree debris and telecom posts,” he stated.
When asked if he imagined that the fire, which started at 5:00 AM on Wednesday in the Piódão parish, would reach his parish 48 hours later—ten kilometers in a straight line and about 25 kilometers by road—José Pinheiro expressed no surprise.
“It’s largely about the winds; for a long time, we’ve been heavily impacted by fires and prepared for what could happen. The treasurer [of the council] and I have been trying to help since Wednesday; we were already expecting this to happen,” he lamented.
The fire that broke out on Wednesday in Arganil subsequently spread to the municipalities of Oliveira do Hospital and Pampilhosa da Serra, all in the Coimbra district, and to Seia (Guarda) and Covilhã (Castelo Branco), in the areas of Sobral de São Miguel and São Jorge da Beira.
As of 9:45 PM, according to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection’s website, the Arganil fire was being fought by 1,007 operatives, supported by 339 vehicles.
