Portugal Safety and Security Report Thursday 31st July 2025
Good afternoon. Monday saw the highest number of fires and also the highest response by the emergency services so far this year. At one stage 3767 operatives were deployed together with 41 aircraft fighting 67 fires. In one fire alone in Arouca over 700 operatives were deployed. A fire has been active since Saturday 26th July. There are also fires that have burned for at least two days numbering around 11. This shows the intensity of fires that we have emphasized this summer. This led the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) announcing that a state of readiness level 3 has been declared in the areas where the main fires are raging in the country.
All this coincided with the heatwave that has been in place which is forecast to extend until the end of this month. Temperatures are forecast to slightly drop on Friday. Enjoy this before a new heat peak that promises to be the most intense of 2025 so far! Depending on which forecasts you read some are predicting near or exceed 45°C (both Sunday and the following days), a significant aggravation of the current heatwave. This will likely have an effect on the fire situation.
As highlighted by the Minister of Internal Administration Maria Lúcia Amara, the “enormous complexity of the operations” in rugged areas, involves study, strategy, planning and “a lot of risk”. We echo the words of the Prime Minister yesterday who stated “This is everyone’s battle, requiring everyone’s collaboration. We must be patient and heed the warnings and advisories from the authorities”
On that subject we at Safe Communities Portugal have been very busy sharing and initiating advice and the various warnings. A lot of our work involves forecasting the likelihood of events such as fires and floods and provide timely advice well in advance so that people are more prepared. For example yesterday we were the first to publish warning of the intense smoke from fires and the effects of this on health, which was followed sometime later by the DGS, ANEPC and media.
During the fires there has been well publicised complaints my some mayor’s over the lack of resources, as well as slow response in some instances. The timing of these just ahead of the local elections comes of no surprise. The president of the LBP confirmed that “there are theatres of operations where it is not worth” the authorities using air resources, because they do not resolve anything. The president of the LBP therefore proposes that there be a joint firefighting strategy, outlined by firefighters, as well as the ability to inform mayors and residents about the resources that will be used in each fire, why and at what point in the flames’ progression.
I find this proposal to understand as the use of resources is fluid given the changing nature of rural fires, depending of the topography the weather and many other factors. In many fires resources are redeployed from other fires based on priorities and availability as the president of the LBP should be well aware.
Our morning posts on the rural fire risk and FWI are now being shared on some days nearly 30 times reaching communities from the north to south of the mainland. This is important and we urge people to share far and wide. Our post was shared to the Penamacor community near Castelo Branco and a few hours later there was a large fire in the area. We hope it helped together with the advice given.
Whilst writing this newsletter news has arrived of an 8.8 Mag earthquake believed to be the sixth largest ever, struck the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, North Pacific in the early hours of Wednesday. The force of the tremor triggered tsunami warnings in Russia, Japan, Hawaii, and the West Coast of the United States. A powerful earthquake triggered 4-metre (13-foot) tsunami waves and sparked evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday. Damage has already been caused and we await the full extent of the impact of this major earthquake.
With this please have a good week ahead
News
The government is investing in strengthening security forces
The Government is investing in strengthening security forces to guarantee “the freedom and security of citizens” in a context of “new threats,” said Prime Minister Luís Montenegro at the Oath of Honour ceremony for 439 new Public Security Police (PSP) officers in Torres Novas.
Luís Montenegro affirmed the need to toughen penalties for those who violate the physical integrity of law enforcement officers. “This strengthening of criminal repression is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the police mission,” as it is “unacceptable” that police authority be disrespected. “Our police officers (…) want, deserve, and need good conditions to carry out their duties.”
Noting that law enforcement officers “are not just concerned about salaries,” he recalled, however, the measures already implemented to increase risk supplements, review careers, and “improve working conditions,” including equipment and infrastructure.
Highlighting the role of security forces in a democratic state governed by the rule of law, he said that “without a strong, active and well-prepared police force, we cannot guarantee security, and without security, there is no freedom.”
The Prime Minister also stated the need to strategically review the security forces’ missions, adapting them to new threats and criminal phenomena, and reiterated the Government’s commitment to increasing the number of PSP recruits, particularly to promote “greater proximity between the police and citizens.”
“Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world, but this is not guaranteed. There are new threats that must be addressed,” he emphasized at the ceremony, which was attended by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Maria Lúcia Amaral.
PJ investigates the use of drones to set fires
The news was reported by Expresso. This may have been the origin of the massive fire that has been raging in the Ponte da Barca area for three days.
Authorities are investigating the use of drones to set fires. The cause of the Lindoso fire in Ponte da Barca is under investigation.
The news is being reported by Expresso. The newspaper reveals that the suspected use of drones is one of the lines of investigation by the Judiciary Police (PJ), responsible for monitoring the situation on the ground and the evolution of the fire.
Also this Tuesday, Civil Protection warned that, given the weather conditions, human action is one of the few that can be controlled. Therefore, it requested that fire or drones not be used.
The fire in Ponte da Barca has been burning for three consecutive days. Currently, nearly 400 firefighters are on the ground fighting it, supported by two aircraft and more than 120 ground vehicles.
Arouca and Penamacor, fires that started this Monday, are the two other large fires currently causing concern.
To combat these three incidents alone, a total of around 1,400 firefighters are on the ground, supported by more than a dozen aerial vehicles. At least seven have already been injured in the fires of recent days.