Ricardo Costa, deputy commander of the fire department, reported that the fire resulted in two serious injuries and 13 minor injuries, all residents of the apartment where the fire is believed to have started.
Four firefighters were among those with minor injuries, and they were transported to the Vila Real hospital as a precaution.
All injured individuals were assessed on-site by the Medical Emergency and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER) team and subsequently taken to the hospital.
Ricardo Costa stated that the entire four-story building was evacuated due to the smoke spreading throughout the premises.
“At this moment, we are ventilating the building completely, and then the Municipal Civil Protection Service will assess the living conditions,” said the deputy commander at 10:15 p.m.
He explained that firefighters extinguished the fire, rescued the victims from the apartment where the blaze likely began, and assisted other residents who were unable to leave the building because of the smoke.
The alert was received at 8:13 p.m., prompting the deployment of 28 personnel and 10 vehicles, including firefighters, INEM teams, police, and Municipal Civil Protection Services.
