The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) stated on Tuesday that the alert situation, currently in effect across mainland Portugal until Thursday, August 7, will be reassessed “during tomorrow,” Wednesday.
“We currently have the alert declaration in effect until the 7th. We will conduct a new assessment tomorrow, and if justified by all the variables that may be indicated, we will make a decision,” said Carlos Pereira, deputy operations officer of ANEPC, during a briefing on the status of rural fires in the country, when asked about the possibility of extending the alert situation.
The Civil Protection official also provided the history of occurrences up to 5:00 PM today. Up to that time, a total of 69 rural fires were recorded, involving 1,500 personnel, 381 ground resources, and 95 aerial missions. Of these 69 occurrences, 20 were nocturnal.
Three incidents required “concern,” specifically in Sirarelhos, the municipality of Vila Real, Caçarilhe in Celorico de Basto (district of Braga), and Barbeitos, Arcos de Valdevez (district of Viana do Castelo).
“These three incidents involve 727 personnel, 257 vehicles, and 13 aerial resources,” revealed Carlos Pereira, adding that during the same period, six people received assistance, and a firefighter was admitted to a hospital “with minor injuries.”
Furthermore, regarding occurrences of resolution, conclusion, and surveillance, 53 incidents were registered up until 5:00 PM, involving 962 personnel, 287 ground vehicles, and four aerial resources.
As a result of the fires sweeping the mainland since the weekend, the municipality of Ponte da Barca activated the Municipal Civil Protection Plan.
The ANEPC deputy operations officer advised the population in areas at risk of rural fires, in addition to avoiding prohibited activities during the current state of alert, to “trust the authorities and follow their recommendations.”
Mainland Portugal has been under an alert since Sunday, lasting until 11:59 PM on Thursday, due to the high risk of fire, as announced by the Minister of Internal Administration on Saturday.
During this period, exceptional protection and prevention measures are in force, alongside a strengthened operational force to combat rural fires.
In a statement to the nation, the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, highlighted the severity of the moment, describing it as a “difficult” week.
Nearly 42,000 hectares have already been consumed by fires this year, eight times more than during the same period in 2024 and the highest amount since 2022, according to data from the Integrated Management System for Rural Fires (SGIFR) highlighted by the Lusa news agency.
The data show that since January 1, 5,211 fires have been recorded, resulting in 41,644 hectares of burnt area. Additionally, 72% of the burnt area and 53% of this year’s fires occurred in the North region, where fires have intensified in the past week, particularly in the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Vila Real, and Porto.
More than half of the area was consumed by flames since July 26.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of fires nearly doubled this year, and the burnt area is eight times larger. In 2024, by August 5, 4,671 hectares had burnt, whereas this year, 41,644 hectares have already been lost.
