“There are nearly four kilometers of National Road 323, a segment that became municipal years ago and was affected by the fire. With the arrival of rain, the route may become dangerous due to the risk of rolling stones and logs,” said Carlos Carvalho.
The mayor added that “initial safety measures will be ensured by the municipal Civil Protection,” but that section “requires greater intervention in the medium term,” for which government assistance will be necessary.
The mayor clarified that by closing the road, the population of Távora is forced to travel “more than 20 kilometers” to reach the village of Tabuaço, so it is crucial to “carefully plan the recovery work” with other entities.
The four kilometers between the village of Tabuaço, the seat of the municipality in the north of the Viseu district, and Távora are now traversed with caution, as stones, clumps of earth, logs, and branches line the roadside.
The fire that threatened Távora descended the slope and “perhaps that’s why it moved slower than in 1994, when the fire came from below and swept through in the blink of an eye,” António Fernandes told Lusa.
At 81, the resident recounted witnessing the “two major fires” and remarked, “if it weren’t for the planes, the fire would have reached the village and spread further.”
“Nobody ventures up these slopes. In the past, we used to go up there for firewood to heat our homes in winter, but now with gas and electricity, who needs wood? It’s overgrown with bushes, and no one can pass through,” he noted.
In Távora, residents mentioned that “nobody can complain” since “there was no lack of firefighters or planes,” and in the Tabuaço municipality, “it must have been one of the few places where the fire got so close.”
“Several agricultural assets burned in a few places. Here, fortunately, only one woman lost her garden. Her house was saved by the firefighters. She has been asking for years to have the pine trees over her house cut, but who will do it? No one knows who they belong to,” António Fernandes added.
The resident, he noted, “isn’t here today; her son, who lives elsewhere, took her out with the grandchildren.”
“She’s probably still a little shaken. It’s good she went for a stroll,” he concluded.
Mayor Carlos Carvalho stated that technicians are conducting a “thorough survey” of the damage. He knows “there were barns, animal pastures, a set of stairs, and a space with tourist potential” that burned.
“But we need to examine very closely what happened. We also need to understand what kind of support will be available and whether farmers will receive any assistance, because in some cases, it might not seem like much, but it’s their livelihood,” he indicated.
The fire that reached Tabuaço originated from two separate incidents — one on the 13th in Sátão (Viseu district) and another on the 9th in Trancoso (Guarda district), which combined on Friday (15th), affecting a total of 11 municipalities across the two districts.
The affected municipalities were Sátão, Sernancelhe, Moimenta da Beira, Penedono, and São João da Pesqueira in the Viseu district; and Aguiar da Beira, Trancoso, Fornos de Algodres, Mêda, Celorico da Beira, and Vila Nova de Foz Côa in the Guarda district.
This fire was brought under control by 10 PM on Sunday, August 17th.
