The fires in Portugal continue to give firefighters and the population no respite, especially in the northern and central regions of Portugal, with the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP) and the district of Aveiro being hit hard by the flames. This time, the flames even reached the Paiva Walkways.
Located just over an hour’s drive from Porto, this infrastructure belongs to the Municipality of Arouca and the AMP, and is part of the Arouca Geopark of UNESCO. According to Expresso, the fire that broke out in Castro Daire (Viseu district) spread to Arouca during the night and early hours of Tuesday.
According to the same source, the flames destroyed about 500 to 600 meters of the Paiva Walkways, already considered the “Best Adventure Tourism Attraction in the World“. The fire was also close to the 516 Arouca, one of the largest pedestrian bridges in the world. At the moment, the municipality continues to raise concerns.
A look at the fire figures
However, the situation in Arouca is not the only one to regret. There are many active fires in Portugal. Near Porto, in the municipality of Gondomar, the scenario was also considered very serious, and these are just two of many examples.
In this context, the editorial staff of Porto Secreto wanted to find out what the figures were for the fires that have devastated Portugal. On consulting SIC Notícias, the deaths of seven people and more than 40 injured were lamented. At the same time, dozens of houses were destroyed.
All in all, it is estimated that since Sunday the burnt area has exceeded 62,000 hectares in mainland Portugal, a figure that will increase as there are several active fires.
In fact, according to the official website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), at 7pm on Wednesday, September 18, these are the figures that attest to the scale of the current situation:
- 167 incidents
- 4364 human resources
- 1326 land resources
- 34 air assets
Editor’s Note: for up-to-date information and/or other relevant notices, please consult the official ANEPC website.