The municipality has announced that the assessment of damages focuses on the fire that began Wednesday in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, spreading to Almeida and Pinhel, affecting the parish of Almeida and the Union of Parishes of Azinhal, Peva, and Valverde.
“We request that affected citizens report their respective damages to the Almeida Civil Protection Office via phone number 271 571 125 (…) or to the Parish Councils/Unions, in order to benefit from the support measures declared by the government,” stated the municipality.
The City Council also reported that damage assessment has been completed for another forest fire in the Union of Parishes of Miuzela and Porto de Ovelha. However, “if there are still residents who have not reported their damages, they may do so” using the same phone contact.
The Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo fire started at 14:58 in Cinco Vilas on Wednesday and advanced along the banks of the Côa River towards the municipalities of Almeida (where the front was declared under control two days later) and Pinhel.
According to the preliminary report from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), based on the Forest Fire Information Management System (SGIF) data, the burned area in the Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo fire reached 2,289 hectares, mostly (63.6%) in bushland.
In this incident, a firefighter from the Pinhel brigade was seriously injured when the water tanker he was driving was engulfed by flames in Valverde, in the municipality of Almeida.
The 45-year-old volunteer sustained severe burns and was airlifted by a helicopter from the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) to the Coimbra University and Hospital Center, where he is hospitalized.
Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple large rural fires since July, particularly in the North and Center regions.
The fires have resulted in four fatalities, including a firefighter, numerous injuries, some severe, and the complete or partial destruction of primary and secondary residences, as well as agricultural and livestock farms and forested areas.
