Noel Afonso stated that throughout the afternoon, nearly 500 personnel and over 10 aerial units were engaged in controlling the only active front that was consuming forest area. The wind and the terrain’s orography were the main challenges during the firefighting efforts, similar to Thursday. There were also some reignitions which were brought under control.
With the fire now contained, there remains “a lot of work to be done,” including damping down and consolidation efforts. The personnel and resources deployed will remain on the ground throughout the night and into Saturday morning. More than 400 personnel, supported by over 140 vehicles, are currently on the scene.
The commander estimates that approximately 3,000 hectares of the Vinhais municipality were burned, affecting the villages of Palas, Nuzedo de Baixo, Ervedosa, Agrochão, Falgueiras, and ultimately heading towards Penhas Juntas.
In addition to brush and pine, agricultural crops and some sheds were also affected. Mabilde Cardoso, from Ervedosa, was one of those affected as the fire destroyed the hay barn and 4,000 bales, which were the feed for her roughly 240 sheep, the family’s primary livelihood.
The most complicated situation occurred in Ervedosa, where several homes were threatened by the flames, but the worst was avoided. “The main focus was on the homes, and none of them burned,” noted Noel Afonso.
The fire began at 11:00 on Thursday in the locality of Palas and at one point had three active fronts, leading to the closure of two roads, the national road 206, between Agrochão and Penhas Juntas, and the municipal road 529, between Nuzedo de Baixo and Ervedosa.
