The Cascais Municipal Council has announced a Municipal Alert Situation for Rural Fire Danger for Sunday, July 6. This decision mandates the prohibition of public and vehicle access to the forest perimeter of certain areas within the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. This action is in response to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere’s (IPMA) forecast of a very high risk of rural fire.
The municipality stated that the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) will block access to roads such as Rua dos Capuchos, Campo Base da Pedra Amarela, Barragem do Rio da Mula, and Quinta do Pisão, among others.
“With this declaration, any unauthorized access to the forest area will be considered illegal, enabling security forces to act more effectively and ensuring greater control on the ground. By preventing the presence of people in these regions, we are also averting situations where an emergency evacuation could put lives at risk,” emphasized Rui Ângelo, director of the Cascais Municipal Civil Protection Service.
The declaration’s main objective is the safeguarding of human lives, especially at a time when large-scale fires pose increased risks, particularly concerning the evacuation of populations.
The municipality also highlighted that Storm Martinho, which occurred in March 2025, “significantly exacerbated the risks associated with rural fires in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.”
This declaration was approved by Cascais Civil Protection and coordinated with the Sintra municipality and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).
