The president of the Oliveira do Hospital town hall, José Francisco Rolo, who in August expressed frustration due to the lack of firefighting resources for the fires in the area, stated on Friday, regarding the ongoing fire that has now spread to the neighboring municipality of Nelas, that the circumstances were “totally different.”
The mayor emphasized the “good coordination between the resources” fighting the fire that began before 1:30 PM in Póvoa de São Cosme and has since moved through several parishes.
“There was no shortage of firefighters or ground resources to combat this fire here on the Mondego slope,” he stated to RTP3. “We had over three hundred firefighters, more than a hundred vehicles, and several aerial means that greatly helped in combating the fire.”
In contrast to the situation in August, the mayor also noted that there was “much more calmness” among the population.
“Some farms occupied by foreign citizens in the hillside area had to be evacuated. Several farms had to be evacuated to avoid increased risks to people’s lives,” he explained, highlighting the “good coordination of resources and the presence of aerial means” and noting the “solidarity” of other fire brigades.
“We hope that during the night the situation stabilizes and the fire is brought under control,” he concluded.
“Our estimate is to control the fire in the next few hours”
The deputy regional commander of Coimbra, Nuno Seixas, stated that the estimate is to control the fire in the next few hours, despite the presence of an active front that remains a concern.
“We have a front that warrants greater concern, between the village of Seixas and the Mondego River area; it is still an extensive active front,” he noted. “At the moment, all fuels basically have low humidity content – this causes the fire to spread faster. Simultaneously, we also have winds occurring with some intensity, which caused numerous projections and the rapid spread of the fire, associated with the terrain’s topography.”
During the afternoon, as a precaution, more than two dozen people were evacuated from their homes on the Mondego valley hillside, in an area of farms inhabited by foreign nationals.
The evacuated individuals were sheltered in a safe area in Seixo da Beira.
The resources have been reinforced during the afternoon, despite the several fires in the region. “However, we managed to strengthen, within possibilities, the attack on this fire,” highlighted Nuno Seixas.
“Our estimate is to control the fire in the next few hours. We have ground resources deployed along almost the entire perimeter, and track machines,” he explained.
The fire broke out at 1:25 PM in an area of shrubland in the Union of Parishes of Ervedal and Vila Franca da Beira and advanced to the parish of Seixo da Beira, continuing to consume shrubland in a grazing and Serra da Estrela cheese production area.
The resources were reinforced during the afternoon, and at 9:35 PM, the fire was being fought by 497 operatives supported by 147 vehicles.
