The wildfire that started in Valpaços and reached Mirandela and Vinhais has already burned 15,000 hectares, including vineyards, olive groves, forest and scrub, according to the president of the Valpaços City Council, who stated that he had requested that a state of calamity be declared.
“Fifteen thousand hectares have already burned, of which more than ten thousand hectares are in Valpaços,” Jorge Mata Pires told the Lusa agency today.
The mayor described a ghastly situation that affected the municipality in the northern part of Vila Real district and said he had already sent the request for a state of calamity to be declared.
This is a municipality essentially devoted to agricultural production, and the fire hit, he noted, “hundreds of hectares of vineyards, many olive groves burned, many almond groves, red-fruit farms, blueberries.”
There are also about twenty homes affected, including primary and secondary residences and abandoned houses, with four people displaced and relocated to temporary locations.
Jorge Mata Pires said that “there are many damages” left by the fire that started on Tuesday afternoon in Ervões, Valpaços, and spread to the municipalities of Mirandela and Vinhais, already in Bragança district.
For this reason, on Wednesday the council activated the Municipal Emergency and Civil Protection Plan.
Today, according to him, the flames are still being fought on the ground, with a front in the Bouçoais area and “islands” in other locations, so many operatives are spread across the terrain, attentive to reignitions and in actions of consolidation and mop-up.
But work is already underway to survey the damages, anticipating that the municipality should forward to the Government the preliminary dossier on Monday.
Jorge Mata Pires stressed that, during these days, the “absolute priority has been the protection of people and their property, the safety of the affected communities,” highlighting the tireless work of all operatives on the ground, from firefighters, GNR soldiers, Civil Protection or the Army.
He explained that several villages were evacuated or that populations were confined to safe locations as a preventive measure and protection of residents.
He also said that he is in contact with the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, and even the Prime Minister, who are following the situation.
The firefighting efforts were hampered by strong winds, and, at times, the heavy smoke prevented the operation of aerial means.
According to the ANEPC online page, as of 12:50 today there were 907 personnel, 302 vehicles and seven aircraft mobilized for this fire.
