In a statement, a representative from the Beja Territorial Command of the GNR reported that the stretch of the “EN2 between Aljustrel and Castro Verde was closed to traffic in both directions” due to the fire.
“There are alternative routes for circulation, and GNR officers are on site redirecting traffic,” the source added.
The Castro Verde City Council, neighboring the municipality of Aljustrel, also announced the closure of the EN2 on its Facebook page, informing residents.
“The municipality urges all residents to remain calm and stay away from the fire sites to allow the passage and operations of various personnel working on the ground to combat” the blaze, states the local authority.
As per the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), reviewed at 5:30 PM, the operation to handle the incident involved 193 personnel, supported by 62 vehicles and five aerial units.
The fire, which was reported at 1:09 PM, broke out in a forested area at Monte do Cerro, near Messejana in the municipality of Aljustrel, and at one point required six helicopters, as informed earlier by Civil Protection.
Around 3:30 PM, a representative from the Baixo Alentejo Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command mentioned that the fire occurred in a forested plantation area.
This source did not have information at the time on the number of active fronts in the fire or if the flames threatened any homes.
Efforts were made to contact the Mayor of Aljustrel, but by 5:20 PM, the representative was still awaiting a response.
