The fire in Vouzela, whose firefighting efforts “are proving positive,” according to the commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, is spreading at an average speed of 765 merers per hour, or 600 hectares per hour.

“I reiterate that the fact that we are currently having success in these operations does not mean that we cannot have a setback given the extremely complex weather conditions, namely the strong wind that we expect from 8 pm onwards,” he warned.

The fire is being fought with resources sent through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, including 118 personnel, 43 vehicles, and a Canadair aircraft from Spain.

“Two Canadair planes from Italy will operate tomorrow [Sunday],” he said, noting that they will arrive at the Beja air base later today.

The officer said that between midnight and 5 pm on July 4, 58 fires were recorded, 16 of which occurred at night, and those three serious fires are currently active.

“There are still 38 [fires] under surveillance, completion, and resolution, which are engaging 821 personnel, 259 vehicles, and two aerial resources,” he said.

Mário Silvestre also stressed the need for the population to follow the instructions of the authorities and stay away from the fire zones, mentioning that there have already been some incidents, and stressed that using drones in the fire areas means that aerial resources cannot operate and must be withdrawn from the site.

“It is critical and desirable that drones are not used in the fire zone, because this has caused significant constraints to aerial operations in the context of firefighting,” he warned, also asking people to stay away. from the landing and refueling zones of aerial resources and avoid the roads near the fire.

The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced on 3 July that Portugal has activated the European mechanism and bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco to reinforce the firefighting force.