Portugal Rural Fire Situation 1800 hrs 19th August 2025
OVERALL
The fire risk is expected to ease in the coming days, but today the situation in the various theatres of operations is still quite complicated, especially in the Castelo Branco region, where the Fundão flames have violently invaded the neighbouring municipality. Even with lower temperatures, the winds remain strong. Around Pampilhosa da Serra, there are still uncontrolled fires, as well as in Sabugal and Mirandela.
Deployment at 1800 hrs were 4069 operatives (749 less than yesterday) 1300 vehicles and 40 aircraft. There were 51 fires at different stages (16 less than yesterday) including six active, 2 in despatch 8 in resolution and 35 in conclusion. A total of nine fires are at significant occurrence and of these only two are is from today – a more positive sign. The fires of concern remain in Arganil with an increased total deployment of 1520 operatives, 504 vehicles and 13 aircraft
There are closed roads in the districts of Bragança, Castelo Branco and Guarda. (See separate post)
The Army has already deployed more than 3,700 soldiers and 1,600 vehicles to fight rural fires and is currently present in 36 municipalities, that branch of the Armed Forces said on Tuesday. According to a note released by the Portuguese Army, to date, 3,752 soldiers and 1,610 vehicles have been involved in 9,916 hours of mission, in 16 districts, in which 301,011 kilometres have been covered.
The funeral of firefighter Daniel Agrelo this Tuesday morning at the Covilhã Volunteer Fire Department headquarters, where the mass was held. The Prime Minister Luís Montengro accompanied by Minister of Internal Affairs, Maria Lúcia Amaral, attended the ceremony. Daniel Agrelo was a member of the Covilhã Fire Department and died following a traffic accident late Sunday afternoon, when he was heading to a rural fire that had broken out in the region.
ARGANIL
The voracity of the Arganil fire, which began a week ago tomorrow, has not yet subsided. The fire continues to rage through mountains and valleys, having already taken over Serra da Gardunha, in Fundão, Castelo Branco district.
This Tuesday morning, the fire is raising many concerns because it’s spreading across multiple fronts and there’s strong winds. For now, no populations are at risk, as Miguel Gavinhos, vice-president of the Fundão City Council, has already stated.
This fire has now also spread to the municipalities of Pampilhosa da Serra then to Fundão and Oliveira do Hospital (Coimbra district), Seia (Guarda) and Covilhã and Castelo Branco (Castelo Branco). To the north, the flames reached Seia and Oliveira do Hospital By Sunday, 21,000 hectares of agricultural land and forest had already been burned in this fire alone—the equivalent of an area twice the size of the city of Lisbon.
SEIA, GARDA DISTRICT
The municipality of Seia, in the Guarda district, continues to experience difficulties in controlling the fire, said the mayor, who criticized the lack of aerial resources to slow and contain the flames. “We are once again facing difficulties, particularly because the air resources are a nightmare to deploy, and they have excuses that are difficult for those on the ground to understand, as, apart from the fire front, everything else is clear,” Luciano Ribeiro told Lusa news agency.
For the mayor, all the work done at night to contain and control the flames, with crawler machines, firefighters, and “firefighters, who literally hang from ravines to create firebreaks,” ends up having no effect.
“The front is so large that surveillance becomes increasingly difficult due to the lack of resources and the recovery of men and women. Without air resources to help and slow down the reactivations, all the work done goes to waste,” he said. At 1:00 pm, the fire was affecting the area between Barriosa and Vasco Esteves, and was confined to the valley that separates national roads 230 and 231
PENAMACOR
The ongoing forest fire in Sabugal, Guarda district, entered the municipality of Penamacor, in the Castelo Branco district, during Monday afternoon, where several people have already been evacuated from isolated homes, as a precaution.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency at 2:15 pm, the mayor of Penamacor, António Luís Beites, said that the fire entered his municipality during the afternoon of Monday, near the town of Vale de Senhora da Póvoa. “This area has already been completely engulfed in flames. Now, the fire is approaching the town of Quintas do Anascer, in the parish of Benquerença,” he explained.
The mayor also added that several people (without specifying the number) living in scattered homes in the area have already been evacuated. “We had to evacuate several people from their homes, which are scattered. It was a precautionary evacuation,” he stated. This fire originated from a rural fire that has been burning in Sabugal, in the Guarda district, since Friday.
FUNDAO, CASTELO BRANCO DISTRICT
Reported 1645 hrs – Flames threaten several homes in Vale de Mendinho, Fundão. The SIC journalist reports that the situation is “quite distressing” in the area this Tuesday afternoon. Many residents are preparing to evacuate. “The flames are raging with an intensity I’ve never seen before,” reports SIC reporter Catarina Terroso on the scene.
Some residents are preparing to leave everything behind to escape the flames. Many are fighting the fire with what they have. In addition to homes, businesses and animals are at risk. When asked where the owners of the threatened homes are, a resident told SIC that they are trying to put out the fire and that she doesn’t know how they are doing.
“The flames are spreading at a worrying rate. It’s very difficult to get around. Sometimes we can’t even tell where we are on these streets. The smoke is very black and dense,” reports Catarina Terroso. The situation is “quite distressing” as the fire is “moving to the other side of the road”, he adds.
In Fundão, flames have surrounded several villages, burning abandoned homes and agricultural storage areas in recent days..
COVILHA
The Fundão City Council reports that there are several active fire fronts in the municipality, with the front affecting the towns of Açor, Vale d’Urso and Casal Álvaro Pires being the most worrying at this time.
The municipality urges all people in these locations to remain in safe areas, adopt self-protection practices, and follow the instructions of the authorities on the ground.
The Covilhã City Council reports that the work during the night went well, but it will be necessary to maintain all attention and efforts on the ground during the afternoon, taking into account that, normally, in the afternoon the conditions and risks worsen. The Council reiterates its call for the populations of the affected areas to remain in safe places and to take precautions and adopt safety and self-protection behaviours.
MIRANDELA
The fire in the municipality of Mirandela is “completely under control,” but there remains an active front in the municipality of Vila Flor, which is now causing more concern, the sub-regional commander of Civil Protection told Lusa.
The fire started at 4:00 pm on Sunday, in Frechas and Valverde da Gestosa, in the municipality of Mirandela, but spread on Monday to the municipalities of Vila Flor and Alfândega da Fé, all in the district of Bragança. According to the sub-regional commander of Trás-os-Montes, Noel Afonso, the municipality that now inspires the most concern is Vila Flor, with an active front in Vale Frechoso, a village that was in the crosshairs of the fire on Monday.
As for Santa Comba da Vilariça, the town seven kilometers from Vale Frechoso, which was severely damaged by fire overnight, things are “under control.”
In the municipality of Alfândega da Fé, more specifically Vilares da Vilariça, which was surrounded by flames, the fire was also put out. The commander clarified to Lusa that no houses burned down, only “some annexes” and “an abandoned house.”
There is only one firefighter with minor injuries, who was taken to Mirandela hospital. Deployment 343 operatives, 115 vehicles and 4 aircraft
FREIXO DE ESPADA A CINTA AND TAROUCA FIRES
After days of worry and fighting the flames, the fires in Freixo de Espada a Cinta and Tarouca are now in the resolution phase.
It had already been considered under control, but a violent reactivation required a new effort from firefighters. It wasn’t until late Monday morning that the Tarouca fire was brought under control. Mostly scrubland and pine forests have been burning since Saturday, but some villages were in the line of fire.
In the village of Estevais, Mogadouro, people are already breathing a sigh of relief, but the flames that came from Freixo de Espada à Cinta, in the heart of the Douro International Natural Park, surrounded the town. The church served as shelter. “There wasn’t a place where we didn’t see fire. It was horrible.” Many lost their “life’s work.” The fire had three large fronts in three municipalities, consumed more than 10 thousand hectares of land.
MONTALEGRE , VILA REAL
The firefighting resources that entered northern Portugal from Spain have been reinforced to 250 firefighters, 79 vehicles and 2 aircraft, causing concern today in the Cambedo, Chaves area, according to Civil Protection.
In Portugal, the alert for this fire was issued at 10:25 a.m. on Monday for Vilar de Perdizes, in the municipality of Montalegre, and is causing further concern today in Cambedo, in the neighbouring municipality of Chaves. This fire has been affecting the Galicia region of Spain for several days and has been burning in the border area of northern Portugal. A source from the Alto Tâmega e Barroso sub-regional command stated that the fire is burning in scrubland and forest, in an area of steep slopes, where strong winds are experienced, with two fronts burning intensely, and added that firefighting resources are being reinforced Deployment 273 operatives, 83 vehicles and 5 aircraft
PORTUGAL RURAL FIRES SITUATION REPORT 0800 HRS 19TH AUGUST 2025
Deployment at 0800 hrs were 3543 operatives and 1200 vehicles. Aircraft will shortly be deployed dependent on the weathe