On Sunday 9th August according to the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) a total of 7,845 firefighters and emergency staff were involved in fighting 382 fires in mainland Portugal. This is the highest numbers in terms of fires and deployments so far this year.
Most of these are in the north of the country with the districts of Porto and Braga being badly hit. A total of 2,020 vehicles had been deployed 125 air missions flown.
On 10th August there were 305 fires;, 27 are ongoing, particularly in the municipalities of Ponte da Barca, Mangualde (3), Gouveia, Póvoa do Lanhoso (2), Vila Flor, Penafiel, Vila Verde, Arouca, Vila Real, Ponte da Barca, Vila Nova de Foz Coa, Cinfães, Arcos Valdevez, Penacova, Fafe, Chaves, Tavira, Celorico de Basto, Vieira do Minho, Peso da Régua, Terra do Bouro, Fornes de Algodres, Ponte da Barca e Santarém.
Also on Monday firefighters saved housing from fires in the village of Castanheira, Sierra D’Arga, in Caminha, the local Mayor informed Lusa. According to the mayor Miguel Alves, who is on site to monitor combat operations, that housing was saved from the fire but the flames are of such intensity that there are threatening other houses in the village of Castanheira.
Meanwhile the Municipal Emergency Plan was activated in Mangualde, Viseu, after one of the fires raging in the county threatened 150 homes, said the mayor, who is considering moving forward with an application for a public disaster declaration. One of the fires went through ” urban perimeter of the city and “threatened 150 dwellings “, which led to the evacuation of” the elderly and children, “he told Lusa