A resolution effective from August 28 addresses damages from wildfires between July 26 and August 27, targeting 313 parishes across 73 municipalities in mainland Portugal.
Excluded from this resolution is the municipality of Aljustrel, which faced two significant fires on June 30 and July 15, burning approximately 1,400 hectares of pasture, olive groves, and brush.
In a statement, the socialist-majority municipality criticized the “criteria specified for defining this ‘time window,'” arguing it “unfairly discriminates against Aljustrel, a region with one of the highest burnt areas in 2025.”
“We cannot comprehend this measure,” Aljustrel Mayor Carlos Teles (PS) told the Lusa news agency, deeming the government’s decision “unjust.”
Similarly, Alandroal’s mayor, João Grilo, also a socialist, opposed the Council of Ministers’ resolution for excluding damage from two fires in the municipality.
In a communication to the Ministry of Internal Administration accessed by Lusa, the mayor highlighted fires on June 16, affecting 642.2 hectares, and July 8, consuming 1,375.8 hectares.
“The fire on July 8 was particularly complex,” he noted, pointing to extensive media coverage that “somewhat proves the significance and severity of the event.”
Grilo recalled that during this fire, there were “several points of fire simultaneously at a distance from each other,” affecting “various estates, landowners, and farmers.”
The Alandroal mayor admitted the burnt area is not as vast as northern fires but emphasized that “damage to agricultural operations (more than forest areas) leads to higher per-area losses” in his municipality.
“Thus, this council received with total perplexity” the resolution from the Council of Ministers, which “specifically delineates the application of the mentioned decree-law, excluding damages from fires in Alandroal,” he criticized.
The Aljustrel mayor shared the sentiment, telling Lusa it “makes no sense” for a farmer “who lost everything to fires on July 24 to receive no support, while another affected on July 26 does.”
“It seems like there are first and second-class producers and farmers,” he remarked, revealing that the municipality has formally contested the government’s decision in writing to the Ministry of Internal Administration.
In a statement, Aljustrel’s council expressed hope for a resolution review, extending its scope to “restore justice in a process that has caused considerable suffering for local producers and the community,” claims mirrored by Alandroal.
Since July, significant rural wildfires have affected mainland Portugal, particularly in the North and Center regions.
The fires resulted in four fatalities, including a firefighter, several injuries, and destruction of primary and secondary residences, as well as agricultural and livestock operations and forested areas.
According to provisional official data, approximately 252,000 hectares had burned by August 29.
