Odeimira, Sabóia – João Martins Beja – Major Rural Fire Incident

 

Rural Fire recorded by ANEPC: 18th August 2021 at 13.14 hrs

Location at start: 37.434253,-8.574858

Mobilized groups: GRIF 03 FEPC, EAUF 02 FEPC, GRIF 01 Portalegre, GRIF 01 Alentejo, GRIF 01 LVT, GRIF 01 LEIRIA, GLOR 01 Aveiro, GLOR 01 Lisbon GRIF 01 Setubal plus specialist units. (see news 2100 hrs below)

 

LATEST UPDATE 20TH AUGUST 2021 20.00 HRS

Two inhabited houses and two vehicles were destroyed by fire in the area of ​​Sabóia, municipality of Odemira (Beja), said today the president of the parish council, indicating that a deep survey will be carried out of the damages.

Speaking to Lusa news agency, Fernando Guerreiro, president of the Parish Council of Sabóia, said that these are losses that have already been ascertained “in a first, more urgent survey”, where “there was greater damage” caused by the fire.

The Parish Council of Sabóia and the City Council and the Municipal Civil Protection of Odemira will carry out a “deep survey” of the damages during the next week, he added.

According to the mayor, the two houses destroyed by the flames were inhabited by foreign citizens, one of masonry and the other of wood.

The brick house belongs to a German citizen residing in Germany and was inhabited by several young Germans, who have been living with friends since they were preventively removed from the house due to the fire, he explained.

Already in the wooden house lived a German citizen, the owner, who was also removed preventively from the house, said the mayor, noting that he does not know the woman’s whereabouts.

Fernando Guerreiro revealed that the flames also destroyed several other uninhabited houses that were in ruins and abandoned.

 According to the mayor, the vehicles destroyed were two vans, one of which belonged to the grandfather of the only seriously injured person in the fire, the 20-year-old who, according to civil protection, suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns in 40 % of the body.

UPDATE 10.15 hrs

The Fire has now been brought to a CONCLUSION

Extinguished fire, with small outbreaks of combustion within the perimeter of the fire

A total of 435 operatives supported by 158 vehicles remain at the scene.

UPDATE 09.00 HRS 20TH AUGUST 2021 

The fire remains at resolution stage in Odemira with a reduced number of operatives deployed. 526 operatives supported by 190 vehicles. No aircraft yet in the theatre of operations.

UPDATE 22.30

The fire remains at RESOLUTION stage with a total of 603 operatives supported by 203 personnel deployed.

ANEPC daily report at 22.00 hrs shows:

 

LATEST UPDATE 19.30 HRS

This means that: Fire with no danger of spreading beyond the perimeter already reached.

At total of 662 operatives supported by 219 vehicles and sic aircraft remain deployed.

The fire that broke out in the early afternoon of Wednesday in the area of ​​Sabóia, in the Alentejo municipality of Odemira,was considered to be under control at 16 40 hrs today, revealed the Civil Protection. In a press conference, he was also underlining that the fire “had potential for damage that could reach 6,000 hectares”, explained José Guilherme Matos.

The official indicated that it “had a propagation speed with some violence”. In the theatre of operations there are 677 operational, supported by 224 vehicles, crawler machines and an aerial means.

Assuring then that the fire is “dominated”, José Guilherme Matos stated that, “of the area that we investigated, [the fire] has about 1,100 hectares, with an estimated perimeter of about 20 kilometres”. “You can see the difficulties that the operatives had to reach today, at this hour, with the fire under control.”

The Civil Protection guaranteed that the resources will remain in place, since “there is still a lot of work ahead, a few hours in the consolidation work”. Already “for security reasons”, “we are going to keep the National 266 and the Municipal track 1160 closed to civilian vehicles”.

“We will keep the operational resources in the field and we will only announced the fire as finished when we are all sure that this fire will not reactivate”, he finished, pointing out that the fire “is all in the municipality of Odemira”, having not spread to neighbouring areas .

It should be recalled that the fire has already caused four injuries, one of them serious, in addition to one person having been assisted on the spot and that farmers affected by the fire in the municipalities of Odemira and Monchique can now report the damage caused, to assess the possibility of triggering possible support.

LATEST UPDATE 14.00 HRS

This is a summary of the press conference and details we have been posting since last night

Occurrence of high operational demand and complexity, due to the location and weather conditions

• Progress was favourable night
• One active front at the moment
• Fire that quickly took on great proportions, with extreme violence, of the eruptive type
• Very intense work during at dawn, helped by the tracking machines, considering the difficult access

Operation divided into 5 sectors –

Alpha in surveillance

Active Beta with aerial means, sensitive situation

Active Delta at 15% –

Echo, active but giving in to means

– Charlie (rear and right flank) dominated

– Preventive displacement of 17 people

– 1 seriously injured, 20 year old. 1 and 2 degree burns on 40% of the body – 3 minor injuries, 1 of them assisted

– No further evacuation is foreseen

– Fire is burning in a place without houses

– Effort in direct combat –

Sector Beta, the most complicated, also due to the proximity of a high voltage line.

– Light wind is expected, but it will increase in intensity, with no forecast to significantly affect operations

– The fire has not yet reached the county of #Silves – #N266 still closed as well as the crossing with the Municipal Path 1160

NOTE: Map is from Coperniscus  EC Fire Management mapping system showing burnt area and active spots (not part of Civil Protection Briefing)

 

UPDATE 12.30 HRS

In a press conference, José Ribeiro, from Saboia, the regional commander stated that, at this moment, there is still an active front, “but for which we have the means in place and a defined strategy”.

The commander of the District Relief Operations, Carlos Pica, stated that there are currently 694 operational, 229 vehicles and 10 aerial means in the fight against fire.

The official also said that there are several victims, one seriously injured – a young man aged 20 with first and second degree burns -, three minor injuries and one person being assisted.

The fire was considered extreme violence, it is still active, but for now it does not represent a danger.

Farmers affected by the fire in the municipalities of Odemira and Monchique can already report the damage caused, to assess the possibility of triggering any support, announced today the Ministry of Agriculture.

In a statement, the Government said that this report should be done on the websites of the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Alentejo (DRAP Alentejo) and of the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Algarve (DRAP Algarve) or, alternatively, on the premises entities.

UPDATE 11.30 HRS

A total of 699 operatives 230 vehicles and 10 aircraft/helicopters deployed.

“The fire is still active, with a very extensive front, but with reduced intensity and in several points. At the moment, it only works in the municipality of Odemira”, explained Rui André, taking stock of the situation around 11:00.

The mayor told Lusa that, even on Wednesday, “anticipating that the fire would progress towards Monchique, a set of tracking machines was moved to the ground and anticipation measures were developed to prevent eventual entry into the municipality” of the district of Faro.

“The strategy worked, we managed to stop the fire before entering the municipality, despite a small eucalyptus fringe having been consumed”, stressed the mayor of Monchique, municipality that in 2018 had a fire that spread to the municipalities of Silves, Odemira and Portimão, which consumed an area of ​​more than 26,000 hectares.

Rui André added that combat and consolidation operations will continue throughout today and probably in the next ones, “because it is necessary to cover the entire perimeter of the burned area, with tracking machines”.

PREVIOUS UP DATE 10.30 HRS

A total of 683 operatives are deployed to the theatre of operations supported by 233 vehicles and 5 aircraft/helicopters. The delay in air support is suspected to be due to weather conditions eg mist, observed in the area.

At 12:00, the District Command for Relief Operations (CDOS) of Beja, from ANEPC, will review the situation of this fire, at the premises of the Parish Council of Sabóia, in Odemira.

The number of aircraft/helicopters has now increased to nine.

 UPDATE 08.15 HRS

The fire fighting that broke out in the municipality of Odemira, Beja, and entered the Monchique area, in the Algarve, was progressing favorably at 7:30 am, having been dominated by one of the five fire sectors, the one located in Odemira.

A source from the District Command for Relief Operations (CDOS) in Beja explained that the fire is divided into five sectors, one of which, the one on the left flank, has been subdued, the other is under surveillance , and in the rest the fire “seems to be giving way” to the means of combat.

“For this reason, this morning the means of combat on the ground will be repositioned in order to increase combat effectiveness and create accesses in some areas where there was no access to fire with the use of tracking machines,” he explained.

The repositioning of means, according to the source, aims to dominate the perimeter of the fire so that it does not develop or spread any further.

According to the source, the fire did not spread to the municipality of Silves, remaining in Odemira and in the municipality of Monchique.

“There was no need throughout the night to evacuate more people or evacuate localities, there are no homes at risk, no casualties to register,” he said.

UPDATE 19TH AUGUST 06.45 HRS

Strong winds calmed down overnight and the temperature dropped. But two fronts remain active.

The fire has already reached part of the municipality of Monchique and [the operatives] are working to ensure that the fire does not enter the municipality of Silves. There is no guarantee that this will not happen, but they are working towards it”, said the commander .

The official also stated that “there is, at this moment, no forecast of the need” to remove more people from the areas threatened by the fire, in addition to the 17 people already displaced.

“It is a fire that is favoured by the wind that is felt in the place, but also accompanying the topography in this area of ​​the territory”, a “mountainous area, with difficult access”, explained Commander Pedro Araújo, in a previous assessment.

“In some segments of the fire, there are no accesses to terrestrial resources,” he added.

UPDATE 22.30 HRS

The fire maintains two active fronts, destroying bush and mixed population, namely cork oaks, pine trees and eucalyptus, said the source of ANEPC.

A GNR source said that, due to the fire, traffic on the ER266 was cut off at around 8 pm, between the town of Nave Redonda, in the municipality of Odemira, and town of Monchique, in the Algarve .

The GNR source said that, throughout the afternoon of Wednesday, “as a precaution”, a total of 17 people had been removed from scattered houses, of first and second homes, but “no village has yet been evacuated” in the municipality of Odemira.

The fire reached this Wednesday night in the municipality of Monchique, in the Algarve. Heading in the direction of Silves. To SIC, the mayor of Monchique said that the fire moved towards the south due to a change in the wind.

The fire can enter areas of older woods, which are not clean, which can “make combat very difficult”, he adds. However, he says that if the wind goes in another direction, it could be a “window of opportunity”.

The mayor stated that six people will be removed from the house as a precaution.

An ANEPC source had previously indicated, to Lusa, that the two active fronts “continued to burn with intensity” and “none of them” had yielded “to the resources used”, predicting “a very busy night”.

“We are strengthening land resources,” he added.

“It is a fire with rapid progression, there is fuel available, as a result of the dryness, especially of fine fuels”, and its propagation “is enhanced by the wind factor, which is in line with the difficult topography”, he said.

Therefore, the fire “has all the conditions to progress quickly,” he added.

The flames have already caused a serious injury, a 20-year-old civilian who suffered burns and was transported to hospital, and a firefighter was also assisted on the spot for having suffered a sprain, according to the source.

PREVIOUS UPDATE 21.00 HRS

Speaking to Lusa, a GNR source said that, due to the fire, traffic on the ER266 was cut off at around 20:00, between the town of Nave Redonda, in the municipality of Odemira, and near the town of Monchique, already in Algarve.

The GNR source said that, this afternoon, “as a precaution”, a total of 17 people were removed from scattered piles and houses, of first and second homes, but “no village has yet been evacuated” in the municipality of Odemira.

Forest Firefighting Booster Group (GRIF01) Portalegre;

Strengthening Group for Wildfire (GRIF01) Setúbal;

Strengthening Group for Wildfire (GRIF01) Lisbon and Tagus Valley;

Wildfire Strengthening Group (GRIF01) Leiria;

Logistics Group of Strengthening (GLOR01) Aveiro;

Logistics Group of Strengthening (GLOR01) Lisbon;

Wildfire Strengthening Group (GRIF03) of the Civil Protection Special Force;

 

 UPDATE 19.00 HRS

The fire that is burning in the municipality of Odemira (Beja) is evolving “unpredictably”, due to “the strong wind”, and has already led to “a few hills” being evacuated, “just in case”, revealed the mayor.

“There have already been some situations of evacuation of some mounts, as a precaution, but everything was calm and took place in an orderly manner” and, now, “we are following the operation to combat the flames”, the mayor of Odemira..

The locality of Moitinhas was one of those that had to be evacuated due to the speed with which the flames were advancing, according to the SIC reporter at the place, Conceição Ribeiro.

Photo on right taken at 17.09 hrs

Copernicus fire map added burned area and active fire spots.

274 operatives plus 88 vehicles and 8 aircraft/helicopters deployed

UPDATE 1745 HRS

A Civil Protection commander Pedro Araújo, has reported that some people had already been removed from their homes as a precautionary measure. “There are scattered dwellings that are in front of fire and the firefighters are also protecting them.”

The large fire has two active fronts. “We have no reports of damage to housing, agricultural equipment or other infrastructure,” said the same source.

Two persons have been injured including who suffered burns. The case seemed serious, but after being assisted and stabilized by an INEM ambulance, it was concluded that the injuries were less serious than they seemed. He is being transported by ambulance to Hospital de Litoral Alentejano, in Santiago do Cacém

A total of 262 operatives supported by 76 vehicles and 9 aircraft/helicopters are deployed

UPDATE 1700 HRS

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) revealed that the fire, whose warning was given to firefighters at 1:14 pm, is consuming “an area of bush and forest settlement”, including “cork oaks, eucalyptus and pine trees”.

The fire started in the area of João Martins, in the parish of Saboia, and “has two active fronts”, with the firefighters “fighting the flames and also protecting scattered houses”.

“There are scattered dwellings that are in front of fire and the firefighters are also protecting them. So far, we are not aware of any affected dwellings,” the ANEPC source assured Lusa.

The combat operation involves firefighters and the Special Civil Protection Force, as well as AFOCELCA, GNR and the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).

221 operatives, 63 vehicles supported by 10 aircraft/helicopters deployed

UPDATE 16.20 HRS

A total of 229 operatives are currently deployed supported by 62 vehicles ad 12 aircraft and helicopters, this includes two helicopters used for co-ordination.

From the position of Picota it appears the wind is now from the north west as the smoke is spreading to the east of Picota, no longer overhead.

UPDATE 15.12 Hrs

Reports a light ash from the fire falling in Picota, showing the effects of the winds carrying smoke in that direction.

Photo from the same area bottom right shows the difference in just under 2 hours.

A total of 175 operatives supported by 43 vehicles and 11 fixed wing fire fighting aircraft and helicopters mobilised.

1420 HRS A total of 124 operatives, supported by 32 vehicles and 6 aircraft/helicopters deployed.

SITREP 1400 HRS

Beja, Odemira, Sabóia – João Martins

The ANEPC have registered a rural fire at 13.14 hrs

The location is 37.434253, -8.574858 just north of the boundary with Beja district.

The location of the fire is just south of the road CM 1187 so please keep this clear for emergency services. There will be diversions in the area.

A total of 83 operatives and 19 vehicles supported by 6 aircraft currently at scene

It is in a hilly isolated bush area some distance from properties which are scattered in this area.

Please free to add photos stating time and where taken