As at 15:30 hrs today there were a total of 122 fires of which 53 are active, 19 at a resolution stage and 50 in conclusion. A total of 3846 firefighters are deployed supported by 1046 vehicles and 14 aircraft/helicopters. There are many road closures – see below.
Of the active fires eight are classed as significant. Two of these are in Guards, two in Viseu, and the others in Coimbra, Aveiro, Braga and Viana do Castelo.
The forest fire that broke out in the municipality of Lousã, Coimbra today has three fronts and has resulted in the evacuation of several localities.
Patrícia Gaspar ANPC said that the fire in the county of Lousã “is intense and very active”, and people have already been removed from the houses in Boque, Piares and Serpins, but there are still no evacuations in villages, which have resources to protect the population.
This fire started at 08:41, near Vilarinho, and is being fought by 404 operatives, supported by 109 vehicles and three air assets, according to the website of the National Civil Protection Authority.
The Deputy National Command of the ANPC also said that since 00:00 today there have been 129 forest fires.
ROAD CLOSURES
At least seven national and municipal roads in the north and central part of the country were cut at 14:30 hrs, due to fires, a GNR source told Lusa. In Viana do Castelo, between Troviscoso and Bela, in the municipality of Monção, the Estrada Nacional (National Road 202) is totally cut off by fire.
In the Porto district is cut EN 207 in Grela, in the municipality of Santo Tirso, and in Braga is cut the EN 103 in Santa Lucrécia de Algeriz.
The EN 17 was cut in Póvoa das Quartas, in the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital, in the district of Coimbra.
In Lousã, in the district of Coimbra, the Municipal Highway (EM) 552 in Póvoa de Serpins and the EM 1232 in Prilhão are cut by fires. In the district of Castelo Branco it was totally cut by fire in the zone of Maxial to EN 238.
Alternatives to traffic cuts are flagged on the spot by local security forces