A highway, A41, remained closed in both directions between Paços de Ferreira and Espinho in the Porto district due to a wildfire as of 4 PM.
In various areas of the North, Center, and Alentejo regions, villages have been evacuated as a precaution, with local authorities calling for more operational resources. Some firefighters sustained minor injuries during the operations, and some residents required assistance.
Approximately 3,000 security and rescue personnel were mobilized by early afternoon to combat the fires in various districts. The rural fire in Arouca, in the Aveiro district, which began on Monday and spread to the municipality of Castelo de Paiva, has mobilized more than 770 personnel.
In Ponte da Barca (Viana do Castelo district), the fire raging since Saturday in the Peneda-Gerês National Park and mobilizing nearly 400 personnel shifted this morning to the municipality of Terras de Bouro in Braga district.
Rui Rocha, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, stated today that the government is ensuring the availability of 76 aerial resources, emphasizing that the effectiveness of these means depends on the characteristics of the fires.
The interior northern and central parts of the country today face a maximum rural fire risk, according to the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
The forecast particularly affects the districts of Bragança, Vila Real, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, and Santarém.
The IPMA noted that the maximum rural fire risk would persist in the coming days in the same regions, worsening in some Algarve municipalities.
