The fire raging in Serra da Estrela has already reached Guarda and forced the evacuation of the river beach of Videmonte this Wednesday.
By 18:30, the flames were being fought by 1,149 operatives, supported by five air assets and 370 vehicles.
The fire has been raging for five days. It broke out on Saturday, at 3:00 am, near the town of Garrocho, in the municipality of Covilhã.
The fire is already the biggest of the year in Portugal, with 9,532 hectares of burned area until 5:30 pm this Wednesday. The data were collected by Renascença from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
The fire has already destroyed 10.7% of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park.
Nine air assets in Oliveira do Hospital
Another fire that is worrying the authorities is raging in the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital.
Nine air assets and 254 operational assets are fighting two fronts, a source from the City Council told Lusa.
José Francisco Rolo says the fire started in Meruge, a parish on the border between the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital and the municipality of Seia (Guarda), around 3:00 pm.
“The fire has already reached Seixo da Beira and is heading towards Sobreda. We have two fronts: one goes towards Seia and the other towards Viseu”, he described.
According to the mayor, the flames are raging in an area of “dispersed population and farms”.
“It is very windy and that worries us”, he added.
Tags: Serra Estrela fire reaches Guarda forces river beach evacuated
