Paulo Novais/Lusa
Fighting Flames in Pedrógão Grande
Fire in Leiria is already in the resolution phase. 1,316 operational and 445 terrestrial media continue to combat the only large active fire in Arganil, Coimbra.
Several track machines and air assets are supporting the operational ones on the ground to ensure the consolidation of the two fires Pedrógão GrandeDistrict of Leiria, which triggered early Saturday afternoon. Leiria’s second subregional commander of emergency and civil protection, Ricardo Costa, told Lusa that a trace machines are being used to “create tracks of containment” in the fire that began in the parish of Graça.
The fire that launched in the parish of Pedrógão Grande “has a series of difficult cloths that do not even allow the means to arrive.”
“We are doing a perimeter with attached means and using the air media to lower the temperature and avoid rekindies,” he said. The second sub-regional commander of emergency and civil protection of Leiria admitted that The situation is controlledat this moment, warning of the most hot period in the afternoon.
The mayor of Pedrógão Grande, António Lopes, told Lusa that the survey of all the damage and possible dwellings destroyed to ensure the monitoring of social action is being surveyed. At 11:00, the mayor was unaware of any situation of homelessness. The Internet page of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority referred at 10:51 AM that they were in the Pedrógão Grande Fire aftermill 662 operational, 207 vehicles and three air assets.
The warning for the first fire in the parish of Pedrógão Grande, district of Leiria, was given at 14:27, on Saturday, and the second emerged in the parish of Graça, in that county, at 15:21. Several roads were closed and the evacuation of five villages was proceeded by precaution. The situation was normalized during today’s dawn.
The population of Pedrógão Grande was again surprised by the flames, eight years after the great fires in that county. The fires that triggered on 17 June 2017 in Pedrógão Grande and who spread to neighboring municipalities caused, in addition to injuries to 253 popular, seven of which serious. The fireworks destroyed about half a thousand homes and 50 companies.
Piódão is still what worries the most
The fire in Piódãoin the municipality of Arganil, Coimbra, which began on August 13, was what continued to mobilize more means this morning, according to Civil Protection. At 08:00, were in place 1,316 operational and 445 terrestrial mediabeing the only active fire of significant occurrences in the criteria of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (Anepc).
Continental Portugal has been affected by multiple large rural fires since July, especially in the North and Center.
Os Fires have already caused four deadincluding a firefighter, and several injuries, some gravity, and destroyed full or partially first and second housing houses, as well as agricultural and livestock explorations and forest area.
Portugal activated the European Civil Protection mechanism, which has two Fire Boss aircraft, a Super Puma helicopter and two Canadair planes.
According to provisional official data, until 23 August burned about 248 thousand hectares in the country, more than 57,000 of which only in the fire that began in Arganil.
The risk of fire remains maximum or very high in several municipalities, especially in the north and center, although the meteorology predicts a small descent of the maximum temperature.
The maximum value should be hit in Bragança and Évora, with 34 degrees Celsius, according to the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
The forecast is very cloudy periods of sky, with the possibility of periods of weak rain or drizzle on the coastal north of Cape Raso until mid -morning.
