A fire tornado was recorded on Thursday night during a wildfire in Unhais da Serra, in the municipality of Covilhã. The event was captured on video, which can be viewed in the gallery above.
“A fire tornado has just been recorded in Unhais da Serra. The fire is burning intensely, and the strong wind is making it very difficult to fight the flames. The fire remains active and uncontrolled in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park and Serra da Gardunha,” posted the well-known ‘Meteo Trás-os-Montes’ page on the social media platform Facebook.
The Covilhã fire began on the 13th in Arganil, in the Coimbra district.
Since July, mainland Portugal has been affected by several large-scale rural fires, particularly in the North and Center regions. During August, fire tornadoes were recorded in Aguiar da Beira and Moimenta da Beira, and even in Casal de Santa Teresinha, also in Covilhã.
The phenomenon observed in Alvite, Moimenta da Beira, was explained by the IPMA as a fire whirl, also known as a fire tornado, caused by high temperatures and surface winds.
“We do not classify it as a tornado. The more specific definition relates to the structure of the vortex column and its genesis. What I observed was a fire whirl,” explained Paulo Narciso of the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) to Lusa news agency.
According to the head of the Radar Meteorology Division, this type of phenomenon, which lasts for about 20 seconds, may occur more frequently than recorded instances.
“Forest fires create conditions that enhance the occurrence of fire whirls because of the overheating involved,” said Paulo Narciso, adding that temperatures could reach “around a thousand degrees”.
Fires in Portugal have already caused three fatalities, including a firefighter, and resulted in several injuries, some severe, as well as partial or total destruction of primary and secondary residences, agricultural and livestock operations, and forest areas.
Portugal has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which provides two Fire Boss planes and a Super Puma helicopter, with two more Canadair planes expected to arrive today.
According to provisional official data, by August 21, 234,000 hectares had burned in the country, more than 53,000 of which were in the fire that started in Arganil.
