Country still has ‘nine large fires’: some dominated, but others break out

As of 8am today, the nine largest fires on the mainland were being fought by more than 3,200 firefighters, forestry sappers and military personnel, with those in Arganil (Coimbra) and Satão (Viseu) concentrating the largest number of resources.

According to the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), the 11 municipalities now affected by the ‘joining up’ of wildfires that began in Sátão on Wednesday, and Trancoso over a week ago, are, in Viseu district: Sátão, Sernancelhe, Moimenta da Beira, Penedono, São João da Pesqueira, and in Guarda district: Aguiar da Beira, Trancoso, Fornos de Algodres, Mêda, Celorico da Beira and Vila Nova de Foz Côa.

The fire in Poiares, Freixo de Espada à Cinta (Bragança), in the Douro region, which started on Friday, is still being tackled, as are blazes in Sabugal and Pêra do Moço (Guarda).

There is also a significant wildfire in Tarouca (Viseu district), and one in Mondim de Basto (Vila Real).

Reports too have come through of more injuries suffered by firefighters whose states of exhaustion now, after weeks of combat, are critical.

Temperatures today are set to start reducing into next week, but the ‘state of alert’ declared on August 3 remains in place until midnight.

In the Guarda municipality of Mêda, the council has called on the government to declare a ‘situation of calamity’ due to the scale of devastation caused by the fires, and the dire need of the population for ‘immediate mechanisms of support’.

A full balance of fire damage will be made eventually, but while these fires are still active details are subject to change. There has been one death, in Vila Franca do Deão, several injuries – most of them ‘not serious’, and a great deal of damage to physical property (including homes/ holiday homes and farms).

In terms of land, almost 140,000 hectares have been burnt so far, 17 times more than in the same period in 2024. Almost half this area was consumed in just two days of this last week.

Portugal has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which two Fire Boss aircraft are expected to arrive on Monday, along with 40 firefighters are due to be sent by Malta. Commentators have suggested that more aerial resources would have been appreciated, but Brussels is already supporting other countries, like Spain, where wildfires this summer have been the worst for at least two decades.