Firefighters continue to battle persistent flare-ups from the wildfire that broke out in Vouzela at 3:04am on Thursday, despite the blaze being brought under control, the commander of the local fire brigade has said.
"The fire is under control, but we are still dealing with numerous rekindlings because the affected perimeter is so vast. We are monitoring every single one," Francisco Lima, commander of the Vouzela Volunteer Fire Brigade, told journalists.
Lima said conditions had become "calmer" and winds were no longer blowing strongly. However, the sheer size of the burnt area has resulted in a high number of reignitions, requiring firefighters to remain constantly on alert to prevent new outbreaks from spreading.
The wildfire, which started in Tourelhe, in the parish of Cambra, later spread to the municipalities of Oliveira de Frades and Tondela, both in the Viseu district, as well as Águeda, in the neighbouring Aveiro district. It was declared under control at 12:40pm on Sunday, 5 July.
By 5:20pm on Sunday, Portugal's National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) reported that 1,155 emergency personnel remained at the scene, supported by 383 vehicles and five aircraft.
According to Civil Protection, two people suffered serious injuries on Friday. A 55-year-old man sustained second- and third-degree burns whilst attempting to extinguish the flames, whilst a 34-year-old man suffered severe head injuries after falling from a private vehicle transporting water to the fire front.
Three minor injuries were also reported. Two volunteer firefighters, one from São Pedro do Sul and another from Vouzela, required treatment after smoke affected their eyes, whilst a civilian from Águeda suffered burns.
The wildfire also completely destroyed a wooden components factory in Vouzela on Friday. The plant produced biomass used in energy generation.
Vouzela mayor Carlos Oliveira welcomed the improving situation but warned that "many hotspots remain scattered over several kilometres", making further flare-ups a continuing concern.
"Firefighters are constantly rushing to deal with these incidents as quickly as possible and stop any further spread," the mayor told Lusa.
Meanwhile, a separate wildfire that had been burning since Saturday in Santo Tirso, in the Porto district, and at one stage mobilised more than 100 emergency personnel and an aircraft, was brought under control on Sunday morning, local firefighters said.
"The fire has been brought under control and crews remain at the scene carrying out mop-up operations," Olga Ribeiro, deputy commander of the Santo Tirso Volunteer Fire Brigade, told press in an operational update.
Ribeiro also said that a firefighter injured in a fall on Saturday, who had been taken to Médio Ave Hospital, was in a stable condition and had since been discharged.
Earlier, at around 9:30am, Santo Tirso fire commander Pedro Santos said he expected the incident to move into the mop-up phase later that morning. He stressed that no homes were under threat, explaining that additional resources had been deployed purely as a precaution.
"We did deploy an urban firefighting unit because of the risk of the fire reaching residential areas, but we have no reports that this happened. There is currently one active flank, but it is yielding to firefighting efforts," Santos said.
The fire ravaged around 15,000 hectares of forest, according to the most recent official report.
Source: LUSA / RTP
Photo credit: PAULO CUNHA/LUSA
