A fire that broke out this Sunday in Castelo Branco is being tackled by nearly 200 operatives and at least seven aerial resources. Additional resources are being deployed to combat the still-active blaze.
The Civil Protection site reported that the fire alert was raised at 5:03 PM, with the flames erupting in the municipality of Almaceda.
“So far, no homes are at risk,” stated a representative from the Beira Baixa Sub-regional Command of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) in a statement at 6 PM.
When questioned about the mobilization of about two hundred operatives to tackle this forest fire, a source from the Beira Baixa Sub-regional Command explained that it also relates to the “weather conditions.”
Castelo Branco is one of the seven districts placed under a red warning by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere due to extreme heat this Sunday. Besides Castelo Branco, the districts under red warning include Santarém, Lisbon, Portalegre, Évora, Setúbal, and Beja.
For Monday, the same districts remain under red warning.
The remaining districts will have orange (the second most severe) and yellow warnings in place between today and Tuesday.
Heatwave Hits the Country
The IPMA revealed this Sunday that the highest temperature recorded today was 46.6º Celsius in Mora, district of Évora, a figure close to the country’s absolute maximum on August 1, 2003, which was 47.3 degrees in Amareleja (Beja), according to the IPMA.
“Currently, the highest temperature today, up until now, [was] 46.6ºC in Mora,” stated meteorologist Alexandra Fonseca of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere to Lusa, noting that these are preliminary values that require confirmation by the Climate Division.
According to Alexandra Fonseca, this value was recorded at 3:30 PM.
“Currently, the highest temperature today, up until now, [was] 46.6ºC in Mora,” stated meteorologist Alexandra Fonseca of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, noting that these are preliminary values that require confirmation by the Climate Division.
Lusa | 5:34 PM – 06/29/2025
In a phone conversation an hour later, the meteorologist mentioned that, at this point, the temperature is unlikely to rise any further today.
On Saturday, temperatures of 45.4ºC were recorded in Alvega, municipality of Abrantes, in the district of Santarém.
Regarding the highest temperature recorded for the month of June, “the record set until today was slightly lower, at 44.9ºC, in Alcácer do Sal [district of Setúbal], on June 17, 2017,” she stated.
[Updated News at 6:34 PM]
