“At this moment, at 10:00 PM, the Sátão/Trancoso fire complex, affecting a total of 11 municipalities, has been declared in resolution,” stated David Lobato.
David Lobato spoke to the agency at the end of the briefing, where the resolution of the fire, which has “all fronts under control, being consolidated, and under surveillance,” was decided.
“We will not retract any resources. Those needed elsewhere, as we have other major fires around here, will be redeployed, but we will maintain almost 90% of the forces present,” he added.
This fire originated from two separate fires—Sátão in the Viseu district and Trancoso in the Guarda district—and merged into one on Friday, spreading to 11 municipalities in these districts.
The 11 municipalities affected are: Sátão, Sernancelhe, Moimenta da Beira, Penedono, and São João da Pesqueira (Viseu district); Aguiar da Beira, Trancoso, Fornos de Algodres, Mêda, Celorico da Beira, and Vila Nova de Foz Côa (Guarda district).
According to the commander, Monday still poses challenges, “with incoming wind and nearly unchanged temperatures,” so resources will remain “very vigilant.”
David Lobato noted that, “fortunately, in this fire, there is nothing major to regret,” except for a firefighter who injured her foot, “and no significant damages have been reported.”
“There were many flare-ups, a lot of work, but fortunately, we always managed to resolve them,” he added.
The Vila Boa fire in the parish of Ferreira de Aves, Sátão, was alerted at 01:03 on Wednesday, spreading on the same day to the municipalities of Sernancelhe, also in the Viseu district, and Aguiar da Beira, in the Guarda district.
The alert for the Freches fire in the municipality of Trancoso, Guarda district, occurred over a week ago, on the 9th at 17:21.
The official website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has resources distributed across the two origin fires.
By 10:20 PM, 623 operatives were deployed in Sátão, supported by 206 vehicles, and 388 operatives in Trancoso, with 126 vehicles.
In total, the fire mobilized 1,011 operatives, supported by 332 vehicles.
Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple wildfires since July, especially in the North and Center regions, amidst high temperatures prompting the declaration of a state of alert since August 2.
The fires have resulted in two deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, mostly non-serious, and have partially or fully destroyed first and second homes, as well as agricultural and livestock operations, and forest areas.
Portugal activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which two Fire Boss aircraft are expected to arrive on Monday to aid in firefighting efforts.
According to provisional official data, as of August 17, 172,000 hectares have burned in the country, surpassing the area burned throughout the entire year 2024.
[Updated at 10:58 PM]
