“The fire was confined to the living room on the first floor of a three-story building, damaging the entire space as well as windows and a balcony door. Smoke spread throughout the house, and we had to ventilate the various rooms,” reported Commander Luís Sousa of the Vila Nova de Poiares Fire Department, Coimbra district.
No injuries were reported. However, a couple—the woman was away working at a nursing home in Vila Nova de Poiares—and their 17-year-old son, who reside in the home, had to be temporarily relocated.
“The neighbors promptly offered help, and the family is currently staying with one of them, but this is a temporary situation,” added Luís Sousa.
According to the fire department’s commander, social services and municipal employees were on-site this morning to “clean the residence and identify the family’s most pressing needs.”
The official stated, “In principle, they may return home today after the affected areas are cleaned of smoke and fire residue.”
Luís Sousa suggested that the fire might have been caused by an electric bar heater, based on the son’s account.
“The device may have overheated and caught fire, or it might have ignited the fire by being too close to a sofa,” he explained.
The incident was reported at 1:33 AM, according to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) website, with 20 firefighters from Vila Nova de Poiares and five vehicles being dispatched.
A GNR patrol was also present at the scene.
