Fighting Wildfires – Those who have lost their lives in the line of duty
The tragic death of Maria João Carneiro a 24-year-old volunteer firefighter from Resende, Viseu District, on 25th September 2026, once again highlights the dangers those in the emergency services can face in carrying out their work.
The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, in a statement published on his website, wrote that “her death, in the line of duty, being an example of selflessness, professionalism and courage, represents an irreparable loss for the institution and for the entire community,” offering his condolences.
The Portuguese Firefighters League (LBP) also lamented, in a statement, of the loss of yet another firefighter in the line of duty. “This is the second loss of firefighters on duty recorded this year, adding to the 257 who have died in the last 46 years.”
For those of us who have worked in the emergency services, know that in undertaking your work, you can encounter life-threatening situations. This is the case in fighting fires, dealing with violent criminals, or participating in high risk operations, at sea, in the air, or on the ground. As a police officer myself for over 30 years, I certainly faced situations that if they had gone wrong could have resulted in serious injury or worse.
In major fires for instance, there is always a risk, and in fighting these the safety of the firefighting team is the top priority. However this can never be guaranteed, regardless of the precautions in place.
The LBP stated in 2020, that 231 firefighters died, in the previous 40 years, 41% of whom, were travelling in fire fighting vehicles. Xavier Viegas, an expert on forest fires who coordinates the Centre for Studies at the University of Coimbra, agrees that emergency driving is a major factor in the number of fatalities among firefighters
The worst year was 1985 when 19 firefighters died, including 14 in the Armamar fire.
Southern Europe Study
The results of a study was published in the International Journal of Wildland Fires in 2019, analysing forest fire fatalities in Southern Europe: Spain, Portugal, Greece and Sardinia (Italy). One of the authors was Professor Domingos Veigas mentioned earlier. The analysis covered 865 fatalities caused by wildfires in the study area from 1945–2016. The following are some of the key findings.
Concerning the professional status of the victims, results show that civilians record the higher percentage of deaths 42.3%, followed by firefighters 30.8%, aircraft crew 11.1%, and army personnel 3.5%.
Results show a major rise of fatalities in late 1970s in these four regions/countries. Civilians were the most affected group in Greece (65%) and Sardinia (58%), but not in Spain and Portugal, where firefighters were the most affected group; in Spain (35.5%) and Portugal (43.5%). Firefighters accounted for 22.4% of the fatalities in Sardinia and 11.8% in Greece. Aircraft crew fatalities were major contributors to the rest not covered by civilian and firefighters.
The main causes of death based in 686 fatalities (where cause of death could be established) were burns and suffocation 446 (65%), health problems 123 (18%) and aerial accidents 72 (10%).
With regard to the activity being performed by victims at the time of the incident, most frequent was firefighting (41.6%) followed by evacuation (13%), agricultural activities (10.3%), being aboard an aircraft (10%) and protecting property (8.3%).
More recent fatalities in Portugal:
Between 2017 and 2025, 27 firefighters were victims of rural fires and 156 civilian victims were also recorded, a number marked by the tragedy of Pedrógão Grande in 2017.
In September 2024 – Three firefighters lost their lives in Tábuas after a fire-fighting vehicle skidded off the road and caught fire. The three belonged to the Vila Nova de Oliveirinha fire brigade. Sónia Melo was 36 years old, Susana Carvalho was 44 years old and Paulo Santos was 38.
Deaths have also included firefighters working for private companies. In August 2025 a firefighter died while battling fire in the municipality of Sabugal”, in the north of the country. The 45-year-old firefighter worked for a private firefighting company.
In August 2024, a forest firefighting helicopter crashed into the Douro River near Samodães, in Lamego, killing five GNR officers, aged 29 to 45. The pilot was rescued alive with only minor injuries. They were returning to base from fighting a fire in Gestaçô,
This is not the first time a firefighting helicopter has crashed. A helicopter fighting a fire in Castro Daire, Viseu, crashed in August 2017, killing the pilot, Américo Sousa, aged 51 years. The helicopter crashed into high-voltage cables, and burned, and the pilot was trapped in the helicopter
The Risks firefighters risk in fighting wildfires
The risks posed by wildfire firefighting are different from those related to any other type of fire suppression context (such as urban fires). Firefighters may participate in several wildfire occurrences per year and remain on the fire scene for several days (for multiple shifts with little downtime) in very hazardous and unpredictable conditions.
Firefighters face many risks that can cause immediate or long-term consequences on their health and well-being. World Fire Statistics show that, between 2016 and 2020, an annual average of almost 70.000 firefighters were injured, and 86 firefighters lose their lives during firefighting occurrences. Cardiac events have been considered an important cause of death among firefighters during fire ground operations, In the USA, for example, sudden cardiac death (usually heart attacks) continues to be the leading cause of death among firefighters on duty, and has occurred occasionally here in Portugal.
These sudden cardiac events have been associated with different factors such as heat stress, exertion, dehydration, shift work, and stress (Guidotti, 2014), as well as with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and lack of physical fitness. In addition, mortality rates have been largely associated with aviation-related incidents, entrapments, and fire vehicle accidents). The last is a common cause of firefighter mortality worldwide and is often related to excessive speed and the misuse of seat belts (International Association of Fire Chiefs, 2008).
These risks are increasing as wildfires become more intense, are burning for longer periods, affecting larger areas and air temperatures become more extreme.
Firefighting, be it on the ground or in the air is a high risk profession. We give our gratitude therefore to all involved, in fighting fires, carrying our evacuations in often hazardous conditions, those treating injured persons and those providing logistical support at fire scenes. Our condolences to the families and colleagues of all those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
