The president of the Oliveira do Hospital Municipality, Francisco Rolo, reported that by late afternoon, fires had crossed the Mondego River and spread to the Nelas Municipality, following an uncontrolled fire line stretching several kilometers.
“The fire is not under control, and we will have a lot of night work,” he stated, noting that ground resources are being strengthened and that weather conditions (humidity and lack of wind) may aid in the fight.
According to Francisco Rolo, the fire, which began before 1:30 PM in Póvoa de São Cosme, has already traversed three parishes of the municipality—Ervedal, Vila Franca da Beira, and Seixo da Beira.
In the afternoon, as a precaution, more than two dozen people were evacuated from their homes on the slopes of the Mondego Valley, an area of farms inhabited by foreign nationals.
Those evacuated were accommodated in a shelter area in Seixo da Beira.
Resources were reinforced during the afternoon, and by 7:50 PM, 475 personnel were on site, supported by 141 vehicles. From the afternoon until around 7:30 PM, eight aerial units were also involved in the effort.
On the ground, three tracked machines activated by the Oliveira do Hospital Municipality are creating discontinuity zones to assist in the fight.
According to the president of the Oliveira do Hospital Municipality, by late afternoon, the tracked machines were creating protection strips around the village of Felgueira Velha, near the Mondego River, as a precaution against any change in the fire’s direction.
