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Rural Fires – Situation of Alert – Further extended to  23.59 hrs 19th August 2025

 

The Alert Status covers the period between 00:00 on August 8, 2025, and 23:59 on August 19, 2025.

Within the scope of the Alert Status declaration, a set of exceptional measures will be extended.

Given the weather forecasts for the coming days, which point to a significant increase in the risk of rural fires, the Government, through the Ministers of

National Defense, Infrastructure and Housing, Internal Administration, Health, Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, Environment and Energy, Culture, Youth and Sports, and Agriculture and the Sea, has determined the extension of the Alert Status Declaration across the continent. The Alert Status will now cover the period from midnight on Friday, August 8th, until 11:59 pm on Wednesday, August 19th.

The declaration results from the elevation of the special alert status of the Integrated Protection and Relief Operations System (SIOPS) and the need to adopt preventive and special measures to respond to the fire danger, as predicted by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), across much of mainland Portugal.

Under the scope of the Alert Status Declaration, as provided for in the Civil Protection Framework Law, the following exceptional measures will be implemented:

  • Prohibition of access, circulation, and permanence within forest areas previously defined in the Municipal Forest Fire Protection Plans, as well as on forest trails, rural roads, and other roads that cross them;
  • Prohibition of burning cut and piled waste and extensive burning, as well as the suspension of any issued permits;
  • Prohibition of work in forest areas using any type of machinery, except those associated with firefighting;
  • Prohibition of work in other rural areas using brush cutters with metal blades or discs, brush cutters, shredders, and machines with blades or front shovels;
  • Prohibition of the use of fireworks or other pyrotechnic devices, regardless of their combustion method, as well as the suspension of any issued permits.

The prohibition does not cover:

  • Work associated with feeding and watering animals, phytosanitary or fertilization treatment, irrigation, pruning, harvesting, and transportation of agricultural crops, provided they are essential and cannot be postponed and are carried out in irrigated areas or areas devoid of forests, woods, or flammable materials, and do not pose a risk of ignition;
  • Manual cork extraction and honey extraction (creasing), provided they are carried out without the use of fumigation methods obtained with incandescent material or heat generators;
  • Civil construction work, provided they cannot be postponed and appropriate measures are adopted to mitigate the risk of rural fires; – Harvesting agricultural crops using machinery, namely combine harvesters, and carrying out forestry operations for cutting, trimming, and transport, between sunset and 11:00 a.m., provided that rural fire risk mitigation measures are adopted and their implementation is communicated to the territorially competent Municipal Civil Protection Service.

The Declaration of a State of Alert implies:

  • An increase in the level of readiness and operational response by the National Republican Guard (GNR) and the Public Security Police (PSP), with increased resources for surveillance, inspection, deterrent patrols, and general support for protection and rescue operations that may be launched, considering the interruption of vacation leave and the suspension of days off and rest periods authorized for this purpose; – Increased readiness and mobilization of emergency medical, public health, and social support teams by the competent health and social security authorities;
  • Permanent mobilization of Forest Firefighting teams affects the Firefighting System;
  • Permanent mobilization of the National Forestry Agents Corps and Nature Watchers, who are part of the fire prevention and firefighting system, by the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF);
  • Increased readiness of response teams from entities with a special duty of cooperation in the areas of communications (fixed and mobile network operators) and energy (transportation and distribution);
  • The National Republican Guard (GNR) carrying out patrols (surveillance) and aerial surveillance by the Armed Forces in districts on special alert, focusing on areas identified as posing a risk.
  • The National Republican Guard (GNR) will conduct patrols (surveillance) and aerial surveillance using the Armed Forces in districts on special alert, focusing on areas identified as a risk;

Exemption from service or justification for absences of public or private sector workers who simultaneously perform the duties of volunteer firefighters, except for those working in the Armed Forces, Security Forces, and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), as well as in public health care services in emergency situations, particularly pre-hospital emergency technicians and nurses from the National Institute of Medical Emergency.

ANEPC will issue warnings to the public about the danger of rural fires.

The Armed Forces provide air resources to, if necessary and depending on existing availability, operate in locations to be determined by ANEPC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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