During the afternoon, the fire sparked concerns in villages such as Mascoselo, Gontães, and Currais, situations that, according to Alexandre Favaios, appeared “more stable” by late afternoon.
In Mascoselo, locals assisted the operatives, and in Gontães, there was a complementarity between the work carried out by aerial and ground resources.
This fire, which broke out Saturday night in Sirarelhos and has already spread to the Mondim de Basto municipality, mobilized around 530 operatives and over 170 vehicles by 19:00.
“What seems crucial, honestly, is an effective reinforcement of men who have greater physical capacity and strength, because what we are noticing is the weariness; the firefighters are very tired as are the populations, who are anxious to see the conclusion of this ordeal,” stated Alexandre Favaios to the Lusa agency.
In the Vila Real municipality, there have been no damages to houses or people so far, although a fire truck from Alcochete was hit by the fire and, in a preliminary assessment, became inoperable.
Alexandre Favaios indicated that this has been “a difficult fight” due to a combination of factors, including sudden changes in wind direction and intensity.
There has also been, he added, difficulty in consolidating the work done on lands with an extremely high fuel load, where the fire smolders and then causes reignitions.
“This situation has been ongoing for two days now, and the populations are genuinely worried about the spread of this entire fire, and the firefighters are particularly tired, hence this appeal for more resources and men to strengthen the fantastic work that has been done,” he advocated.
The mayor of Vila Real further expressed hope for this reinforcement and revitalization to put an end to this situation still today.
“We hope that the coming hours will bring some calm,” he emphasized.
