“The fire came down from Arouca, and by 8:00 AM it was upon us. The firefighters didn’t come here. We had to protect this area ourselves, or everything would have burned,” said 70-year-old Serafim Rocha.
A day after being isolated by the flames, the place of Seixo in the parish of Real, home to about twenty residents, now experiences an unusual calm, considering the catastrophic scenario encountered on the way to the village.
Serafim Rocha, the only person found on the street, remarked that the fire “attacked from all directions,” prompting residents to use their own resources to fight the flames.
“We did what we could, all together, using hoses and water pumps to protect the houses, because the entire mountain burned,” he added, noting that material damages were limited to a scrapyard consumed by flames at the village’s end.
Despite the difficult moments, Serafim stated he did not feel distressed and is already accustomed to such situations.
“We must keep calm and do our best, nothing else. There’s no point in panicking too much. Do what we can and protect the houses, and let the rest burn,” he shared.
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of baker José Teixeira, distributing bread from a van.
“We only come here on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the place was isolated, and we couldn’t pass through. Today, it’s more or less controlled, and we can get through, but everything is burned. I’ve been through other areas today, from Arouca to here, and there’s no greenery anywhere,” he described.
A few dozen meters away, Joaquim Moreira, 52 years old, was preparing lunch for himself and his 81-year-old mother, who took refuge inside the house on Tuesday while he and neighbors battled the fire.
“It was horrible. The fire came from above and then suddenly it was burning everywhere, all around. We had to help put it out. Some worked on one side, others on the other,” he said.
Joaquim Moreira mentioned feeling scared and feared everything would burn. “The scrapyard burned here, and a neighbor’s sheep were lost,” he reported.
The Castelo de Paiva fire originated from the Arouca blaze, which also spread to the neighboring municipality of Cinfães in the Viseu district, damaging parts of the Paiva Walkways, a key source of local economic revenue.
By 7:00 PM, the Arouca fire was being fought by 702 operatives, 248 vehicles, and four aerial units, according to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection’s website.
