Over 800 firefighters and about 270 vehicles have been fighting, since Monday, two large rural fires in the municipality of Proença-a-Nova, in the Castelo Branco district. The first fire broke out at 4:05 PM in the civil parish of Alvito da Beira and Sobreira Formosa, with 632 operatives and 203 vehicles assigned, while a second focus began at 7:26 PM in the locality of Atalaia, with 198 operatives and 67 vehicles. The night was critical, particularly in the village of Cerejeira, where the flames directly threatened homes, according to the Mayor, João Lobo.
The recorded damage includes destruction of forest area, sheds, haystacks and storage rooms. Despite the proximity of the fire to homes in Cerejeira, there is no record of burned houses or injuries. The perimeter of the fires has not yet been consolidated, but consolidation work continues during the morning.
The meteorological scenario significantly worsens the on-the-ground combat. The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere placed about 60 municipalities distributed across 10 districts at maximum rural fire danger, with temperatures ranging from 23°C in Aveiro to 37°C in Castelo Branco. The most affected districts are Castelo Branco, Vila Real, Bragança, Viseu, Coimbra, Santarém, Portalegre, Évora, Beja and Faro. Very high or maximum danger is expected to persist at least until Sunday.
