Fires | Médio Tejo on high alert with rising temperatures
More than 50 municipalities in several districts, including Santarém, are at maximum risk of fire on 22nd July 2024. due to the hot weather. In the Médio Tejo region, temperatures could exceed 40 degrees, at least until Wednesday, with commander David Lobato ensuring that firefighters are on standby and appealing to the population to act as civil protection agents. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has placed almost the entire mainland under an orange alert.
The Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Commander of Médio Tejo, David Lobato, told mediotejo.net that the risk of rural fires increases substantially from today with the rise in temperatures, which could exceed 40 degrees, in a context with easterly winds, having assured the state of readiness of the device to respond to possible occurrences.
The focus, he noted, is on surveillance and pre-positioning of resources, including vans with first response kits, in order to carry out a quick and powerful attack on an initial ignition. “No fire starts out big,” he recalled, to justify the importance of a strong and effective initial attack. David Lobato appealed to the population for support, to remain alert and vigilant and to alert the authorities to suspicious behaviour of people in the forest.
The rural firefighting device (DECIR) in the Médio Tejo sub-region for the most critical phase, from July 1st to September 30th, with around 600 operatives, 145 vehicles and three aerial resources, among other resources and entities.
David Lobato said that the operational device (DECIR 2024) “is similar to last year’s”, counting in the most critical phase, in addition to the 600 operational personnel, vehicles and aerial resources, with three tracked machines and the support of human and material resources from various entities, such as ICNF, UEPS/GNR, Afocelca and municipalities, along with new technologies, with decision support systems through georeferencing and real-time monitoring of wind and terrain conditions.
“The analysis that was made is that these resources are sufficient for our history and we maintain the same men, the same resources, and we have not changed the dynamics”, he stated, regarding a device that is based on premises such as “pre-positioning of resources”, “permanent monitoring”, “early detection” and “immediate and muscular dispatch of resources
David Lobato recalled that, in addition to the 600 operational personnel in the Delta phase, from July 1 to September 30, “the sub-region has around 900 firefighters on active duty and who are also available for mobilization, if there is a need” for support.
“If [the fires] don’t all happen at the same time”, the device has the “capacity to put them out at a very early stage”, he assured.
Eight districts and 50 municipalities at maximum risk of fire
Today, more than 50 municipalities in the districts of Faro, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Viseu, Santarém, Bragança, Vila Real and Guarda are at maximum risk of fire. The highest maximum temperature expected for today will be reached in Évora and Santarém, with 42 degrees Celsius. The district of Beja will have a temperature of 40 degrees, Portalegre 39, Castelo Branco 38, Vila Real 36, Bragança and Viseu 35, Guarda 33 and Faro 31.
The IPMA also placed several municipalities in all districts of mainland Portugal, except Viana do Castelo, at very high and high risk of fire.
According to IPMA calculations, the fire danger will remain high in some districts at least until Friday.
This risk, determined by IPMA, has five levels, ranging from low to high, and calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.
Due to the heat, IPMA issued an orange warning for 11 districts between today and Wednesday due to the forecast of hot weather.
The districts of Évora, Setúbal, Santarém, Beja and Portalegre will be under an orange warning between