The Portuguese Government declares all municipalities affected by the fires a disaster zone

The Portuguese government has decided to declare all the municipalities affected by the fires of the last few days to be disaster zones in order to speed up the provision of aid and resources to assist all those affected. In addition to the seven fatalities (four firefighters and three residents) and 40 injured, there have been numerous material losses in homes, warehouses and businesses, which have ruined the lives of their owners.

Since last Sunday, more than 71,000 hectares have burned across the country, making these episodes as serious as those recorded in 2022. The worst situation experienced in Portugal was in 2017, when the fire caused the death of 66 people, many of them trapped in their cars when they tried to escape the flames on a national road, where the lack of maintenance and forest clearing had made it easier for the fire to jump from one side to the other.

Following an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has issued a harsh message to those responsible for arson. So far this year, the Judicial Police have arrested 29 people suspected of setting fires, including four in connection with the most recent incidents. “We will not spare any effort in repressive action, we cannot forgive those who are unforgivable,” said Montenegro. “We know that there are natural phenomena and circumstances of negligence that converge in forest fires, but there are also too many coincidences,” he added.

Weather conditions improved slightly on Wednesday, which allowed the number of towns in extreme danger to be reduced from 100 to 50. However, 57 fires are still active, out of the 138 that the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority had recorded up to 11:00 (Spanish time). The rest were under control or in the extinction phase. At that time, 5,508 people were working to combat the fires, assisted by 1,700 land vehicles and 30 air vehicles. The most serious fires were recorded in Sever do Vouga, Oliveira de Azeméis and Castro Daire. Some 59 people are still housed in temporary facilities after being evacuated from risk areas.

Spain has stepped up its support to its neighbouring country by sending 230 soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), who are already working on the fires affecting several villages in San Pedro do Sul. The activation of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism has allowed the reinforcement of Portugal’s air resources, which were overwhelmed by the multitude of simultaneous fires that occurred in the centre and north of the country. Spain, France and Italy have sent eight aircraft to cooperate in extinguishing the fire. In recent hours, air support from Morocco has also been added.