The sub-regional commander of Douro from the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), Miguel Fonseca, stated that priority is being given to the defense of homes, and in Borbela, as of 8 p.m., there were isolated actions to confine people, who are being accommodated at the parish council headquarters.
The fire has three fronts burning intensely, but according to Miguel Fonseca, “at this moment, complete priority is being given to the protection of homes.”
According to the ANEPC website, by 8 p.m., 343 personnel and 103 vehicles were mobilized to combat this fire.
The fire began a week ago, on August 2, in Sirarelhos, entered the resolution phase on Wednesday, was under completion, and reactivated on Saturday night at 9:06 p.m., gaining size this afternoon due to strong winds and high temperatures.
The Alvão mountain range covers the municipalities of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Ribeira de Pena, Vila Real, and Mondim de Basto, and within a week, areas of all four municipalities have burned in three different fires (Sirarelhos, Pinduradouro, and Alvadia), resulting in a burned area exceeding 4,000 hectares.
The district of Vila Real is under a red alert due to heat from 9 a.m. Saturday until midnight Monday, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA).
The government renewed the state of alert across the country until Wednesday, August 13, due to the risk of forest fires.
