The wildfires that began in the villages of Nogueira and Ardãos, in Boticas, burned about 3,000 hectares of scrubland and pine forest, according to the mayor of Boticas, who described a “tsunami of fire” that struck the municipality.
“The damage is around 3,000 hectares of maritime pine and scrub,” Guilherme Pires, president of the municipality in the Vila Real district, told the Lusa agency, pointing to a preliminary tally of the burned area.
According to information from Civil Protection, since 23:57 on Saturday three fires were sparked in the parish of Ardãos and Bobadela, two in the village of Nogueira, one of which spread to Chaves, and in Ardãos, which entered the Montalegre municipality.
The last of the fires, which began on Tuesday in Nogueira and suffered a reactivation on Wednesday, was brought under control at 09:20 today.
“It is as if a tsunami passed through our villages, through our parish, a tsunami of fire in this case,” the mayor stressed, adding that an assessment of the damage on the ground will still be carried out.
In addition to the affected scrub and pine forest, the president also noted that the flames reached grazing areas and apiaries and, during the firefighting, the tracked machines knocked down walls that will now need to be rebuilt.
“But we have not yet calculated that. Indeed some apiaries burned, others were saved by miracle, and some pastures and property walls also have to be replaced, but we have to assess,” he pointed out.
The damage assessment will then be forwarded to the Government.
Guilherme Pires described days of alarm for the Boticas municipality.
“Because we worry about people, about property, but we also worry about the wealth that is our forest and its constant burning, which will take many years to renew. It is a wealth that remains scarred, because many of our boards derive income precisely from the forest and the trees. And now, well, it’s a fresh start,” he stressed.
According to information on the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) website, by 14:30 today there were 318 operatives mobilized for the fire, which began on Tuesday and is currently under control, supported by 99 vehicles and four aerial assets.
Today, according to the president, will still be a day of mop-up, consolidation, vigilance and heightened attention.
“Because the fire has already been in different places two or three times and there have indeed been reignitions, and they reignited with great violence. Let us hope that the climatic conditions help us,” he said, noting that the intense heat and strong wind, but also the terrain, made the firefight more difficult.
He added that the firefight, after a reinforcement of resources, “went very well,” having been “very efficient the work of the firefighters and all the institutions involved.”
