Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 28th May 2025
Good morning. The focus this week is very much on the considerable increase in air temperature and associated much higher fire risk as well as the quickly approaching deadline for land cleaning – just four days away.
So far this year the fire risk has been lower than average but this is set to change from today especially in the Algarve. If we look at the fire risk map for 27th May there are only 4 municipalities at very high risk and above, but by the 31st May (the deadline for land cleaning) there will be 76 (according to forecasts at the time of writing), although this could change.
This puts those living in those areas at a quandary, as you cannot burning cut and piled waste without specific authorization from your municipality – some they may be reluctant to give if it results in a burn becoming out of control. This was raise by a reader yesterday – who asked: Having cleaned the land around our second home as best we can, what do we now do with piles of material we can no longer burn the piles?”
Here is my reply which serves as a reply to others in a similar situation. “Now it is too late to burn if you are in a very high maximum risk municipality over the next few days. We have been forewarning over the few months this situation could materialize, encouraging people to burn debris as soon as possible. There are several options. 1) Wait until the risk becomes lower and then seek authorization from the city council. Even if the risk is low or moderate, after the 31st May you need to seek authorisation, they may or may not grant it. 2) Employ a company or someone to remove the debris. 3) Purchase or hire a shredder, to shred it, if you can and depending on the thickness of items you need to shred. 4) You can also check with your parish office if there are any local services that can help you”.
Despite admitting some “tolerance”, the GNR is flagging up landowners who do not clear their land to prevent fires. The deadline for carrying out fuel management work ends at the end of this month. After that, the authorities can take action and impose fines. By the end of April, the GNR had flagged 10,417 plots of land for lack of fuel management, to prevent rural fires, but from June onwards, even with some “tolerance” from the authorities, owners risk fines if they do not clean their land.
Over the weekend, the IPMA had already warned of a gradual rise in temperatures from Tuesday onwards in mainland Portugal, with an increase in the risk of rural fires, the maximum classification of which could affect some municipalities in the south. The maximum temperature is expected to reach above 30°C in most of the territory from today onwards, with the exception of some places on the western coastal strip – and above 35°C in the South and Tagus Valley. This hot and dry weather is due to a mass of hot air coming from North Africa. A reminder that the ultraviolet radiation index will remain at very high levels, as expected at this time of year close to the summer solstice and given the absence of cloud cover. DGS has issued health warnings due to high temperatures and we are posting these on our Facebook page and Group at regular intervals.
High temperatures are not the only factor concerning fire risk, with low humidity and strong winds being major factors as well. In addition we post each day the Fire Weather Index. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) is a model-based index used worldwide to estimate fire danger. It indicates intensity of potential fires by combining the rate of fire spread with the amount of fuel being consumed, taking into account temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, drought conditions, fuel availability, vegetation characteristics and topography.
It is important to monitor daily because it indicates the intensity of fires and the rate of spread. The Fire weather index is used for general public information about fire danger conditions, and is an essential tool for firefighters. Please study it.