Fire in Arganil is the most worrying
Luís Paulo Costa, mayor of Arganil, said today that the fire raging in the region, with several active fronts, "continues to be a cause for concern." "There's already a fire line several dozen kilometers long, very large, which makes the fire's path unpredictable," he told Rádio Observador.
The mayor explained that the highest-risk areas have been identified and that some people are being advised to temporarily evacuate those areas. He added that there is currently no record of significant damage, only "two or three storage units," not homes. "But from an environmental perspective, it's very severe," he emphasized.
"The atmospheric pressure situation means that there is a scenario that could be conducive to direct firefighting until around 12 p.m.," said Luís Paulo Costa, noting that it must also be considered that fighting fires in rugged areas is a challenge.
Portugal has been on alert due to the risk of rural fires since August 2. This year, 63,247 hectares of forest have already burned, half of which in the last three weeks.
According to the IPMA, all municipalities in the district of Bragança and most of Vila Real, Guarda, Viseu and Castelo Branco are at maximum risk of fire.
Also at maximum risk are dozens of other municipalities in the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Santarém, Portalegre, Beja and Faro.
Much of the Alentejo region and dozens of other municipalities in the districts of Faro, Lisbon, Leiria, Coimbra, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Viseu, Aveiro, Vila Real, Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo are at very high risk.
The IPMA placed around 60 municipalities in the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Santarém, Lisbon, Setúbal, Portalegre and Faro at high risk.
Around 20 municipalities are at moderate risk, almost all on the country's coast, in the districts of Faro, Lisbon, Leiria, Coimbra, Aveiro and Porto.
The IPMA forecasts a slight drop in temperatures in the South and a slight rise in maximum temperatures in the North and Central regions today. Winds, sometimes moderate, are also forecast in the highlands, especially in the South.
Minimum temperatures will vary between 15º (degrees Celsius), in Viana do Castelo, and 26º (Portalegre) and maximum temperatures between 26º (Aveiro and Viana do Castelo) and 40º (Castelo Branco and Évora).
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere extended the orange warning, the second most serious, until Sunday in the districts of Castelo Branco, Guarda and Bragança due to the heat.
According to the IPMA, the orange warning will be in effect in these three districts until midnight on Sunday, while in Viseu and Vila Real it will be in effect until 6 pm on Friday, due to the "persistence of very high maximum temperature values", then dropping to yellow, the least serious on a scale of three.
Furthermore, the orange warning is also active until 6:00 pm today in the districts of Évora, Setúbal, Santarém, Beja and Portalegre, then dropping to yellow at least until Sunday.
The districts of Porto, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga are also under a yellow warning due to the heat until 6:00 pm today, while in Coimbra and Leiria it will last until 6:00 pm on Friday and in Faro until 6:00 pm on Sunday.
The fire in Tabuaço, still considered a significant occurrence by Civil Protection, was reported to have been under control in the last few hours.
Flames in Moura, Vila Real and Vinhais are also in the process of being resolved, although hundreds of firefighters continue to be mobilized.
The morning begins with four large fires burning: Cinfães, Sátão, Trancoso, and Arganil. The latter is the one that mobilizes the most resources by 7:00 a.m.: 817 firefighters and 277 fire engines.
The Trancoso fire is being fought by 466 firefighters, supported by 154 fire engines. The same number of firefighters is fighting the flames in Sátão—more than 400 men and 137 fire engines.
The Cinfães fire is, among the significant active fires, the one that mobilized the least resources.
In total, more than 2,700 firefighters are fighting flames across the country.
Good morning, we're launching this liveblog to follow the evolution of the fires in Portugal and southern Europe on a day when high temperatures will continue to be relentless.
In this other article, which we have now archived , you can recover everything that happened this Wednesday.
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