Six major fires fought by more than 2,700 firefighters

At 00:45 this Friday, more than 2,700 firefighters were fighting the six main fires in mainland Portugal, with those in Arganil (Coimbra), Sátão (Viseu) and Trancoso (Guarda) concentrating the largest number of resources.

According to the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), there were 2,791 operators and 913 land resources on the ground in these six fires.

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The Arganil fire, which broke out in the parish of Piódão in the early hours of Wednesday, allegedly caused by an electrical discharge from the dry thunderstorm that was felt in that area, was the one that had the most resources on the ground at 11:15 pm, with 813 operatives.

This fire was raging on Thursday morning in Pampilhosa da Serra and spread to the municipalities of Oliveira do Hospital and Seia, the latter in the district of Guarda.

The fire in Vila Boa, Ferreira de Aves, in the municipality of Sátão, district of Viseu, which started in the early hours of Wednesday and, on the same day, reached the municipalities of Sernancelhe, also in the district of Viseu, and Aguiar da Beira, district of Guarda, had more than 750 operators on the ground by 00:45.

In the fire that broke out in Trancoso, district of Guarda, 508 operators were involved, in a fire that spread to the municipalities of Fornos de Algodres, Aguiar da Beira, Celorico da Beira and Sernancelhe.

Still in the municipality of Trancoso, a fire that started on Wednesday in A-do-Cavalo mobilized 70 operatives.

The fire in the Lousã mountains, in the Coimbra district, which started on Wednesday, mobilized 315 operatives, after evolving "on two fronts" during the afternoon and forcing the preventive evacuation of 53 people from several villages.

The fire that raged on Thursday night in the municipalities of Portalegre and Castelo de Vide with "three active fronts", had 322 operational personnel at 00:45 today.

Already controlled, but still significant occurrences, the Tabuaço fire (Viseu) had 205 operational personnel on the ground, the Sirarelhos fire, Vila Real, which consumed the Alvão mountain range, had 178 operational personnel on site, the Cinfães fire (Viseu) had 139 operational personnel and the Vinhais fire (Bragança) had 51 operational personnel.

Portugal has been on fire alert since August 2, and in recent weeks several fires have broken out in the north and center of the country, already consuming more than half of the approximately 75,000 hectares of land burned this year.

The alert situation has been extended until Sunday, the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, announced on Thursday, at the end of a visit to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).

"Faced with the adversity of 22 consecutive days of intense heat showing no signs of abating, the Government will once again extend the alert status until Sunday," the minister announced in statements to journalists.

Maria Lúcia Amaral stressed that all restrictions and prohibitions imposed by the heightened fire risk alert situation remain in place.