Serra da Estrela Natural Park (PNSE).

Data: 06-08-2022 03:18

Estado: ACTIVE

Local: Garrocho, Freguesia: Cantar-galo E Vila Do Carvalho

Concelho: Covilhã, Distrito: Castelo Branco

Incêndio: Bush

Area Burned: Approx 17,000 hectares

Injuries: 26 all operational staff

Damage to property: To be assessed

N.º Oc. 2022050022298

Monitor deployments here

Action during fires here

Emergency contacts

The fire is UNDER RESOLUTION .

Fire under control within the perimeter.

Deployment 1101 operatives supported by 356 vehicles.

UPDATE: 20.30 hrs

Deployment: 1135 operatives supported by 361 vehicles and one observation aircraft.

The second national commander for Emergency and Civil Protection, Miguel Cruz, said at this Wednesday’s press conference that, regarding the fire that has been raging in Serra da Estrela, “work to consolidate the entire fire perimeter”, with special emphasis on the Guarda and Covilhã fronts.

At this time, the Civil Protection reported the existence of a “greater difficulty of access” in front of this fire in Guarda, but also the continuation of the consolidation of works in the “area of ​​Teixoso and Orjais”, already on the side of Covilhã.

It is precisely on both, according to Miguel Cruz, that the “air means” that are fighting this fire have coincided. This is at a time when, of course, the “priority” involves the “consolidation of these two fronts”, at a time when the “fire has a significant percentage of dominance”.

In view of this occurrence in Serra da Estrela, the number of operatives with minor (21) and serious (three) injuries is maintained, compared to the previous balance, with a total of 46 assisted.

On the other hand, this Wednesday there was “no need” to remove people from their homes due to the threat posed by this fire, after this happened to 43 people yesterday. According to the second national commander of Civil Protection, there are two houses affected by this fire, one of them “first housing”.

UPDATE – 1630 hrs

1231 operatives supported by 386 vehicles and 10 aircraft

UPDATE – 12:00

Total of 1225 operatives deployed supported by 387 vehicles and 6 aircraft.

Civil Protection press conference- André Fernandes

– Fire perimeter ~160 km

– 90% of the fire perimeter subdued

– Active front between Quinta da Atalaia, Teixoso and Orjais

– Front in Guarda district with several hot spots

Priorities for this afternoon:

– Atalaia – Teixoso front containment (4.5km front)

– Control of the Gonçalo and Famalicão da Serra fronts

– Consolidation of the total fire perimeter

8 reinforcement groups:

– FEPC 160 operational

– UEPS 96 operational

-14 track machines

– ICNF 64 operational

– INEM 10 operational

– AFOCELCA 26 operational

– 45 evacuated people, most have returned home

André Fernandes also added that the front in the municipality of Guarda “has several hot spots, with opportunities for a fire to open in case there are reactivations”. Therefore, he warned, there is a “great attention and monitoring of the means” to avoid reactivations and “windows of opportunity for the fire to progress”.

UPDATE 0725 HRS 17th August 2022

The night was one of intense work for the more than 1,200 firefighters involved in fighting the fire in Serra da Estrela. But, according to the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Commander, who commands operations on the ground, only one of the fire fronts, facing from Covilhã to Belmonte, is the most worrying.

“The work during the night was very productive and we managed to close a series of areas”, advances Elísio Ferreira

This Wednesday morning, a front was active, on the Castelo Branco side.

According to the Civil Protection website, at 07:25 1,244 operatives were on the ground fighting the fire, supported by 401 ground assets.

From 08:00 onwards, air combat assets are reactivated.

According to the authorities, during the night, the fight against the flames was favourable to the firefighters.

UPDATE: 2230 HRS

Deployment: 1315 operatives, supported by 413 vehicles and two obsevation aircraft

UPDATE 19h45 16th August

Deployment: 1326 operatives supported by 416 vehicles and 3 aircrafts

Civil Protection hopes to consolidate fire overnight as wind subsides – says the national commander of Emergency and Civil Protection, André Fernandes, at the press conference about of the fire fighting in Serra da Estrela.

According to André Fernandes, the fire caused a total of 21 persons with minor injuries (including the two firefighters who were in the vehicle that overturned in the Sarzedo area), three persons seriously injured and 39 persons assisted at the location. There are at the moment 45 persons evacuated and two homes affected by the fire.

The national commander said that the “fire remains quite fragmented, however it is expected that during the night the wind will lose its intensity”. So the nightfall has “a window of opportunity” to dominate the fire.

André Fernandes said that an improvement in weather conditions is expected, “it is expected” namely “that the wind will lose its intensity” and that “the relative humidity of the air will rise substantially”.

UPDATE 17h45

Deployment: 1256 operatives supported by 392 vehicles and 13 aircrafts

A family in the municipality of Covilhã lost its house that was hit by the fire, in the village of Vale Formoso, Covilhã.

The fire has, at this time, three active fronts, and it is in the municipality of Covilhã that the concerns of the operators are concentrated.

The main difficulties are due to difficult access, but also to adverse weather conditions.

It won’t be easy to put out the flames, admits national commander André Fernandes.

In Sarzedo, in the municipality of Covilhã, elderly people with health problems were evacuated and taken to the neighboring parish of Teixoso. In Orjais, in Covilhã, several people are also being evacuated from their homes.

Serra da Estrela will be under close surveillance. The objective is to deter acts of arson, or new outbreaks of fire caused by negligent actions.

At this time, the causes of this fire are being investigated, after several reignitions that took place almost simultaneously.

The decision was announced by the president of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority at the end of a meeting, in the early afternoon, with the mayors of the affected municipalities: Guarda, Belmonte and Covilhã.

According to a statement from the Civil Protection of Covilhã, “despite all the means and efforts, it was not possible to contain the fire at the top of Sarzedo, having already passed to the side of Atalaia/Gibraltar/Teixoso”, adding that “The situation in Orjais is equally serious and in Aldeia do Souto it is still not safe”.

During the day, 45 homes were evacuated, and in Vale Formoso, two homes were consumed by flames and one of them would be a first home. Since the start of the Serra da Estrela fire, 21 minor injuries have been recorded, including the two firefighters who were in the vehicle that overturned today in the Sarzedo area, three seriously injured and 39 assisted.

Regarding roads cut off from traffic, according to André Fernandes, there are cuts on the N18-1, M609 and M501.

There are, at this time (20:30), 1322 operational on the ground, assisted by 415 vehicles and two air assets.

The smell of burning and smoke resulting from the fire that has been raging for several days in Serra da Estrela has reached the Spanish regions of Madrid and Castile and Leon, according to the press and emergency services today.

The emergency services covering the Community of Madrid today write on their Twitter account that they have received 380 calls, mainly between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, alerting them to the smell of burning and smoke.

UPDATE: 0550 16th August 2022

The firefighting means that have been in Serra da Estrela for a week will continue in operation, now in surveillance operations, the second National Emergency and Civil Protection Commander, Miguel Cruz stated this morning.

At a time when the fire is already under control the priority is to avoid any re-ignitions, the priority is to avoid re-ignition.

“There is a whole work that is now being developed, of aftermath and active surveillance of the entire perimeter, which is of significant dimension.,confirmed through an aerial review of the entire area with the use of thermal cameras – and then carry out the work in these same places with the potential for opening or reactivation”, describes commander Miguel Cruz.

This official recalls that the fire broke out “in a mountain area with very pronounced slopes, with a very demanding orography, very specific, because it is a mountain area that, for example, contrary to what occurs in plain situations, normally during the night allows greater opportunities for intervention, something that does not happen here”.

Even so, he assures that “an analysis of everything that occurred in the evolution of this fire will be carried out, in order precisely to collect these lessons learned and make adjustments in what is a process in relation to fighting fires”.

Commander Miguel Cruz reveals that, in total, there are 26 injuries, all of them operational, and there is “a more serious situation that involved an accident with a forest firefighting vehicle belonging to the volunteer firefighters of Loures, but that , fortunately too, four of these firefighters are already at home, only one remains hospitalized”.

As for material damage, this survey will be carried out by the municipalities, a process “which may take some time considering the area”. It is known, as of now, that there were no first houses hit, but there were four second houses consumed by the flames in the village of Quinta da Taberna.

Although the means on the ground are being reinforced, the fire in Serra da Estrela remains active, especially in the municipality of Guarda.

Valhelhas, for example, woke up again, covered in smoke and with an intense smell of burnt earth.

The night’s work progressed, but there is still cause for concern, as the regional commander of Emergency and Civil Protection, Elísio Oliveira, admitted to Renascença : “We have parts of the perimeter of the fire in the aftermath of consolidation. We continue to have very hot spots. active front that concerns us.”

“The potential for the fire to evolve on this side is great”, reinforces the official.

“We have the entire area with plenty of means for combat, whether with teams on foot, with crawler machines, who worked throughout the night, which are being reinforced at this moment when what we want is to create a discontinuity between what did not burn and the part where the fire is”, he adds.

Air assets should only be able to take action within two hours, mainly due to lack of visibility conditions.

Elísio Oliveira explains that “it is as if the driver of a car entered a foggy area: he has to slow down and drive much more carefully. If we understand that the flight of these aircraft is visual, therefore, the pilot must have the ability to visualize and program its entire path to carry out the intervention, we are talking here about a risky activity”.

“There are no conditions for the aircraft to work. In other words, if we opened the air resources centers here earlier, we would not be able here and could have 100 air resources available, but at this time, they would not be able to see what was in front of them, which are mountains”, concludes the commander. regional.

As for what can be expected for this Friday, in terms of weather, weather forecasts, it will be similar to yesterday’s, and commander Elísio Oliveira recalled that Thursday’s late afternoon was very complicated. There was even a village – Quinta da Taberna – that was swept away by the flames, 20 houses were destroyed.

 

UPDATE 0700 hrs 12th August 2022

Fire remains active.

Deployment 1638 operatives and 502 vehicles.

DAY 6

UPDATE: 2300 hrs

UPDATE 2100 hrs

On Thursday afternoon, the fire did not seem ready to subside. At 2:18 pm on August 11, data from NASA’s “Modis Aqua” satellite analyzed by researcher José Miguel Cardoso Pereira, from the Center for Forestry Studies of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, reported “a worrying area of ​​flames at the head of the fire”, north of Manteigas.

This is even with the forest sappers and the special force of firefighters trying to delimit a perimeter of 25 kilometre with backhoes to stop the fire that spread between the municipalities of Covilhã, Manteigas, Gouveia and Guarda and reached Celorico da Beira at the end of the afternoon.

Heat spots ANEPC 2100 hrs

UPDATE 1745 hrs

Current deployment is 1618 operatives supported by 496 vehicles and 12 aircraft/helicopters

A Loures fire engine, with five firefighters, overturned today during the fight against the fire in Serra da Estrela.

There are two serious and three minor injuries in this accident in Celorico da Beira

An INEM helicopter was mobilized to the scene in order to transport the victims to the hospital.

The fire that has been raging for more than five days in Serra da Estrela is evolving in a “favourable” way, essentially the result of the combat work carried out during the night, but it is still active. The assessment is from the second National Commander of Emergency and Civil Protection, Miguel Cruz, who this Thursday at a press conference shortly after noon from Valhelhas, in Guarda, made a cautious prognosis for the coming hours.

Miguel Cruz says that as a result of the increase in temperature expected for the afternoon and the decrease in humidity, the reactivation of some outbreaks is likely, noting that there are still some active fronts in the several kilometres of the fire’s perimeter . “Wind conditions can create adversity,” he acknowledged.

“The area that concerns us the most is the triangle between Manteigas, Vale da Amoreira and Folgosinho. This is where we will focus our efforts”, said the second commander of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), who guaranteed that the 1,500 operational who are on the ground will continue to work “hard”.

The fire that broke out on Saturday in Garrocho, in the municipality of Covilhã, spread this morning to the municipality of Celorico da Beira (Guarda), being the most complicated situation in the parish of Carrapichana.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, the mayor of Celorico da Beira, Carlos Ascensão, explained that the fire entered the county through a re-ignition that took place today, in the middle of the morning.

“Today a re-ignition with great intensity reached all parts of Carrapichana, and the situation became uncontrollable by the wind, flames and lack of response”, he said

The fire raging in Serra da Estrela consumed 20 homes in the Quinta da Taberna village, in Guarda. The locality had already been evacuated by the authorities.

According to what the Renaissance found on the spot, of the 20 houses now destroyed, two were inhabited.

Hours before the flames reached the village, the president of the Parish Council of Videmonte told Renascença that the situation was dramatic, with uncontrolled fire fronts and the flames approaching this locality, in the municipality of Guarda.

Researcher Miguel Almeida, from the University of Coimbra (UC), highlighted today the complexity of the fire that is raging in Serra da Estrela, due to the orography and weather conditions.

“Fires are often explained on the basis of a triangle, made up of topography, fuels [such as vegetation] and weather conditions, and the truth is that the three corners of the triangle are perfectly aligned” in this case, he said.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, he considered that this fire “is very complex and dominated by the topography, since it is a mountain area, and by the wind that has risen during the afternoons”.

On the other hand, we have an overload of fuels and especially fuels that are very dry. We all know the drought that the country is going through and that drought is reflected here, in the loss of moisture from fuels, making them very available to burn

In fact, it is very difficult to reach certain slopes, because there are no accesses”, he said, recognizing that it is a natural park area in which “interventions are not always possible”. Still, he added, “the truth is that this creates a lot less access.”

UPDATE: 1345 HRS:

On the sixth day of fighting the fire in Serra da Estrela, the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) admits that “situations have been identified which, from an operational point of view and given the characteristics of the fire, may need adjustments”, which ensures the , ” are already being evaluated”.

Even so, says the Government in the statement sent this Thursday to the newsrooms, ” the complexity of this fire triggered an exceptional mobilization of resources, with a total of more than 1,500 operational personnel currently engaged, supported by 465 vehicles, 14 air assets and 16 crawler machines, which represents a new reinforcement of means compared to yesterday “.

The command of operations ” is being ensured through the ANEPC Tactical Command Center, installed and operated on the ground”, adds the MAI.

Ensuring that it is monitoring the evolution of the fire, the Government says that the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar, has been in contact with the mayors of Covilhã, Gouveia, Guarda and Manteigas, with whom it met “yesterday and today, for video conference”. ANEP officials were also present at these meetings), “who carried out a detailed briefing on the operational situation on the ground”.

The national second-in-command of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) said today that the three Canadair were inoperative on Wednesday, one due to mechanical damage and the other two due to flight time inspection.

One was operating this morning

As at 1345 hrs: Deployment is: 1529 operatives supported by 472 vehicles and 7 aircraft

UPDATE 1200 HRS

According to the commander, the weather conditions during the last morning benefited the work of the operatives, mainly due to the decrease in wind intensity and the change in its rotation.

“In Manteigas, the situation is now more controlled, however, there are some occasional situations, especially in the Faias area, and also in the town of Vale da Amoreira”, adds Miguel Cruz.

The fire, which started in Vila do Carvalho, in Covilhã, has now spread to the municipalities of Manteigas, Gouveia and Guarda.

At this time (11:45) there are 1508 operational personnel on the ground, assisted by 465 vehicles and 14 air assets.

Picture of the direction of smoke from the fire Zoom Earth on 9th August 2022 (Link here to Twitter video)

UPDATE 0900 HRS

According to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), at least one Canadair plane is among the eight aircraft and  assets mobilized in the early morning to support the 1,535 firefighters in fighting the fire, which also has 473 vehicles.

An increase in the number of ground deployment overnight with 1557 operatives and 482 vehicles currently deployed.

The front line of the fire, which can be seen near the lookout point of the Gorgulan, is several kilometres in length. It started on the national road (EN) 232, near the village of Vale da Amoreira, and climbs through the forest towards the municipality of Gouveia.

The fire that has lasted six days has already consumed more than 9,500 hectares, which means that the flames have already destroyed more than 10% of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park.

The intense smoke that has stagnated over Serra da Estrela makes it difficult for air assets to work. Flames from one of the several fronts of the fire consume the dense forest patch.

STREP 22.30 HRS

The fire that is burning Serra da Estrela destroyed a fire engine in the Vígia de São Lourenço area, in Manteigas, in early Wednesday afternoon. The all-terrain vehicle, according to JN, belongs to the Vagos Fire Brigade, and was being driven by Commander Fernando Cheganças. Despite material damage, no injuries were reported.

According to our information, the group of firefighters who were in the area of ​​the incident was surrounded by the fire due to the change of winds, but managed to escape without casualties.

According to the Regional Operational Commander of Lisbon and Tagus Valley, who was speaking during a press conference held at the Valhelhas Parish Council (Guarda) “the fire situation remains complicated and difficult.  At this moment, the fire develops in four municipalities, with Covilhã being the quietest. It is in consolidation and aftermath. Manteigas, Guarda and Gouveia are the ones that are the most worrying at the moment”, underlined Elísio Oliveira, referring that there is an extensive front towards Folgosinho and that this requires the repositioning of the means for another night “of intense work”.

At the press conference, the commander said that the available air resources were in the fight. “We would like to have a lot more. The Canadairs were inoperative all day,” he pointed out.

According to an assessment carried out in the early evening by the regional operational commander of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, the situation “remains complicated and difficult” and the objective of the operatives on the ground “is to take strength from the head of the fire”.

About seven thousand hectares have been burned.

For the next hours and night, the work will be developed from Manteigas and Vale da Amoreira towards Folgosinho. Efforts will be concentrated throughout the night, not forgetting the flanks. The objective is to try to prevent, for whatever reason, what is the flank from becoming a front of fire”, he concluded.

So far, the perimeter of the fire has reached about 25 kilometers.

In some places, such as Vale de Amoreira, there is no cell phone, internet and television network.

Winds are currently around 15 km/h gusting to 37 km/h from the north but are forecast to change direction from the south in the early hours.

Some 1292 operatives supported by 402 vehicles and one observation aircraft are deployed

 

SITREP 18 50 HRS

The flames have already consumed almost 10,000 hectares, making the fire that broke out on Saturday, in Covilhã, the most devastating of the year.

The flames have already destroyed almost 10,000 hectares, making the Serra da Estrela fire the most devastating of the year. The other dwellings with the most burned area are: Murça, in Vila Real (7,058 hectares), Pombal, Leiria (5,126) and Chaves, Vila Real (3,368).

Also according to EFFIS data, the fire, which broke out near the town of Garrocho, in the municipality of Covilhã, at 3:00 am on 6 August, has already destroyed 10.7% of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park.

This fire is also one of the biggest of the last four years in Portugal:

• Monchique (2018) – 26,763 hectares
• Proença-a-Nova (2020) – 14,878 hectares
• Serra da Estrela (2022) – 9,532 so far
• Vila de Rei (2019) – 9,249 hectares
• Castro Marim (2021) – 6,629 hectares

As a precaution, the river beach of Quinta da Taberna, in the parish of Videmonte, was evacuated. Sérgio Costa also adds that resources, namely machines, are being reinforced.

The front that most concerns the authorities, between the localities of Sameiro, Vale da Amoreira and Manteigas, remains active and is the one that has given the most work to the operators, in order to prevent the flames from reaching homes.

A total of 1117 operatives supported by 349 vehicles and 4 aircraft deployed

UPDATE: 1330 hrs

FIRE remains active

At the press conference, held at 12:00, Elísio Oliveira regional commander of Lisbon and Tagus Valley, highlighted that “it is not common for so many people to be operational infighting a fire”, but that this is happening “due to the weather conditions, which are not favourable and tend to get worse until midnight.

These conditions “will make the work difficult and, in an anticipation perspective, addition resources have been placed here to respond to any projection and make rapid progress [in firefighting]”, he said

The, Elísio Oliveira, advanced earlier this afternoon that the fire in Covilhã is in the “consolidation and aftermath” phase, but still overall remains Active.

“We may still have some problems, but we have the means available on the ground so that, if there is any reactivation, we can immediately resolve the issue,” he added.

Deployment1161 operatives  supported by 360 vehicles and 9 aircraft

Fire spread hotspots map below

WAZW Road closures

 

UPDATE 12.34 hrs

According to the operations commander, the situation is much calmer.

During the dawn, a stronger attack was made on the fire, with more than 1100 operatives currently on the ground.

The area of destruction of this fire will already be about 4 thousand hectares.

Deployment is 1180 op

UPDATE 0730 hrs 10th August 2022

The ground force deployment has increased considerably with 1151 operatives supported by 356 vehicles. The risk of thunderstorms and possible hail storms today could complicate fire fighting operations.

UPDATE 2130 hrs

A firefighting helicopter landed this Tuesday in an emergency in Serra da Estrela, while participating in operations in Covilhã. The aircraft suffered a technical problem on approach to landing and was forced to land.

Civil Protection assured that none of the occupants were injured.

The alert was given at 19:00. The helicopter suffered significant material damage and the tail was broken. The operator of the damaged helicopter has already guaranteed its replacement by another helicopter of the same type during the morning of August 10th.

Rescue resources were immediately mobilized, as well as a Reinforcement Group for Fighting Forest Fires to protect the helicopter in view of its proximity to one of the fire fronts.

Photo by Miguel Pereira da Silva

The fire is burning with great intensity”, located both in the Castelo Branco district, in Verdelhos (Covilhã), and in the Guarda district, in the town of Sameiro, in the municipality of Manteigas, a source from the District Command of Relief Operations (CDOS) of Castelo Branco told Lusa.

The two towns are at a distance of about ten kilometers, situated on the border between the two districts.

Since the start of the fire, there have been nine minor injuries, added the same source.

During this afternoon, it was necessary to remove 26 people from Verdelhos to family homes and cut the municipal road 501, which gives access to the same location, said a source from CDOS.

António Ribeiro noted that, although the situation was practically under control  last night – with the fire confined to only one front, in Verdelhos -, the firefighting became complicated this Tuesday afternoon, with “strong and erratic winds ” causing “strong re-ignitions” .

Fire hotspots as at 2130 hrs 9th August 2022

Deployment 823 operatives supported by 262 vehicles

UPDATE: 1830 hrs

The fire that ignited out in Verdelhos forced the evacuation of at least 24 people from their homes, who are now going to the house of family members, confirmed the District Command of Relief Operations (CDOS) of Castelo Branco to the RCC.

According to the same source, there are currently nine civil protection agents (Bombeiros and others) injured.

In addition to the EN 501 is cut, at the access to Verdelhos, the EN 232 is cut in the direction of Vale de Amoreira-Sameiro, according to the CDOS of Guarda.

Deployment : 712 operatives supported by 216 vehicles and 15 aircraft/helicopters (one quarter of aircraft availability on the mainland)

UPDATE 1700 HRS

According to the same source, the fire forced the cut of the EM 501, at the access to Verdelhos, and caused injuries to four firefighters.

This brings to seven firefighters injured, the earlier ones suffering from smoke inhalation on Sunday.

UPDATE 1400 HRS

The fire has two active fronts, one advancing towards the municipality of Manteigas and the other towards the villages of Carvalho and Teixoso.

Two localities were evacuated but there are no houses threatened by the flames for now.

In a protected area, a UNESCO heritage, the area burned since the weekend should reach 4,000 hectares, estimates the mayor.

Vítor Pereira also highlighted the importance of air resources in fighting this fire, since the active fronts are in areas of difficult access.

Current Deployment is 641 operatives, 198 vehicles and 11 aircraft/helicopters

 

UPDATE: 1200 HRS

Despite the still present concern about the fire that broke out in Vila do Carvalho in the early hours of Saturday, the reinforcements and the weather conditions last night favoured the fight, stresses José Armando Serra dos Reis, Vice-President of the City Council da Covilhã and councilor for Civil Protection of the municipality, in statements to the RCC.

“Fortunately, during the night the fight evolved positively and, at this moment, although we do not consider it extinct yet, we are convinced and with hope that during today, if it does not become extinct, at least we will consider it dominated”, he adds.

The fire that evolved on Sunday, despite having been “almost considered extinct”, there were fronts that rekindled, mainly due to intense winds, namely in the area of ​​Penhas da Saúde and Verdelhos.

“All the means were concentrated on these two fronts, first we extinguished the Penhas da Saúde front, but in the meantime weather factors and also the difficulty of access to mountain areas, as is the case of Verdelhos, made the fight difficult, despite the means in the land are many”, says Serra dos Reis.

Current deployment: 620 operatives supported by 196 vehicles and 8 aircraft/helicopters.

UPDATE: 0850 hrs

According to the Castelo Branco District Operations and Relief Centre (CDOS), at the beginning of the day, three command posts were set up – Penhas da Saúde (Covilhã), Manteigas and Sarzedo (Arganil) – and the fire had two fronts (Manteigas and Verdelhos).

Pedro Araújo, from the National Civil Protection, talks about a night of hard work for the firefighters and reveals that, for prevention, 30 people were removed from the village of Cova.

Deployment: 584 operatives supported by 192 vehicles

“We are now making an inventory of the damage and damage caused and then we will effectively intervene, either with conjunctural measures, namely support for burned wood by the State, and also soil stabilization measures”, he describes. Jose Reis.

The mayor explains that being a mountain area, where after this intense heat, normally, heavy rains are also announced, if we do not take emergency actions we will later have situations of displeasure and damage with the floods that will move both the ashes and the the very, very bare soils and move and cause floods and drag to the bases of the villages and towns that are at the base of the mountain.

Road closures latest from WAZE:

UPDATE: 0700 hrs 9th August 2022

The fire remains as Active and from the heat spots seems to be taking on a more easterly north easterly direction.

Current deployment 588 operatives supported by 191 vehicles. Aircraft will return shortly.

UPDATE: 2300 hrs

The fire remains active. 595 operatives deployed supported by 187 vehicles.

The fire, in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park area, spread to the Manteigas glacier valley, one of the largest and richest in Europe, in terms of fauna and flora.

In all, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 3,594 hectares have already burned in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park area, of which more than 60% corresponded to bush and 1.4% to agricultural areas. .

In red, in the image of the current fire situation, the fire is represented, while the Serra da Estrela Natural Park area is represented in green.

According to the map the burned area is approximately 8 kms by 4 kms

UPDATE: 17.00 HRS

A source from the Castelo Branco District Command (CDOS) told the RCC that, at 15.20 hrs, there was an active but controlled front in Manteigas, and a front in the Verdelhos area, the border between Manteigas and Covilhã, being, at the moment, “the most worrying situation and that involves the greatest concentration of means”.

According to the CDOS source in Castelo Branco, national road 338, which connects Piornos to Manteigas, is still closed to traffic, although there are no homes at risk.

Deployment: 573 operatives supported by 170 vehicles and 5 aircraft

UPDATE: 13.00 hrs

The mayor of Manteigas said today that the fire that broke out on Saturday in Garrocho, in Covilhã, consumed more than a thousand hectares of his municipality, which is in the heart of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park (PNSE).

“Manteigas [municipality] is totally within the PNSE. In terms of burned area, although the calculation has not yet been fully calculated, it is estimated that more than 1,000 hectares have already burned”, Flávio Massano told the Lusa news agency.

Deployment; 590 operatives supported by 176 vehicles and 7 aircraft/helicopters

UPDATE: 1220 HRS

The commander of the Civil Protection of Castelo Branco describes the difficulties of access that are complicating the fight against fire.

“At the moment, the fire is still active, with special concern for two areas, in particular in the Verdelhos valley, an area facing the slope of Covilhã and another area facing the slope of Manteigas.

These are areas of difficult access, where it is only possible to work with aerial vehicles and often not even foot vehicles can be placed there. They are the ones that give us the greatest concern”, reveals Francisco Pera Boa, adding that there are no homes at risk.

The flames in Serra da Estrela led to the cutting of the national 338 between Piornos and Manteigas.

Current deployment is : 601 operatives 178 vehicles and 9 aircraft/ helicopters

UPDATE: 0715 hrs 8th August 2022

The seven air assets that operated on the ground during the day on Sunday were withdrawn as night approached.

A source from the Castelo Branco District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) told Lusa on Sunday night that National Road 338, which “connects the Piornos area to Manteigas”, was still cut and that there was no indication that houses were in danger.

During Sunday afternoon, three firefighters were removed from the theater of operations due to “illness, burns and trauma”, with two of them being transported to a hospital and another receiving assistance at a health centre, according to the same source.

A total of 626 operatives supported by 187 vehicles are deployed

UPDATE: 22.20 hrs

601 operatives deployed supported by 182 vehicles. Aircraft withdrawn overnight.

UPDATE: 19.40 hrs

Deployment now 525, operatives, 156 vehicles and 9 aircraft.

UPDATE: 1815 hrs:

Castelo Branco District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) told the Lusa agency, at 16:45, that the fire has caused the cutting of National Road 338, which “connects the Piornos area to Manteigas”, and also forced the evacuation of Praia Fluvial de Verdelhos.

Deployment: 420 operatives supported by 123 vehicles and 9 fixed wing aircraft/helicopters.

UPDATE: 15.00 hrs Sunday 7th August 2022

The fire in Garrocho, in the municipality of Covilhã, which broke out at 03:18 hrs on Saturday, spread to Manteigas, in the district of Guarda, a source from the District Command for Relief Operations (CDOS) in Castelo Branco told Lusa.

According to the same source, the fire takes place in a mountain area and “is happening right in the area of the Serra da Estrela Central Massif”.

The fire is still active and “there are no houses in danger”.

The Castelo Branco CDOS also added that the lack of access “is conditioning the fight [the fire]”.

The situation was reported to Lusa, around 13.45 hrs, by the Castelo Branco CDOS, which stated that 322 operational personnel, 94 vehicles and nine air assets are on the ground.

Photos from around the same time.

According to the same source, so far, the route of the Volta a Portugal stage by bicycle is not compromised

Deployment 359 operatives supported by 105 vehicles and 9 aircraft/helicopters