The Paiva Walkways are being consumed by a fire on Wednesday morning. A video was obtained showing the moment when the fire broke out in what is considered one of the biggest tourist attractions in the municipality of Arouca.
The Mayor of Arouca, Margarida Belém, stated to RTP3 that the “Paiva Walkways are burning.” She explained, “But that is not our biggest concern. Our main concern is the villages, the people, and the safety of people and property.” Nevertheless, Margarida Belém declared that “at this moment, we are a little calmer compared to yesterday’s scenario.”
The fire in Arouca results from the spread of a fire that started in the neighboring municipality of Castro Daire, in the district of Viseu. This morning, it mobilizes 106 operatives and 25 vehicles from various fire departments, including those from Lourosa, Santa Maria da Feira, Nespereira, Fajões, São João da Madeira, and the Viana do Castelo Fire Department.
In the municipality classified as a UNESCO Geopark, with an area of 329.11 square kilometers, 85% of which is forest cover, the active fronts are located in Alvarenga, in the area of Covêlo de Paivó and Janarde, and also in Canelas and Espiunca.
Since Sunday, seven people have died and 40 have been injured in the fires raging in the North and Central regions of the country, specifically in the districts of Aveiro, Porto, Vila Real, and Viseu, which have also resulted in dozens of destroyed houses.
According to the European earth observation system Copernicus, the burned area in mainland Portugal since Sunday now exceeds 62,000 hectares.
As of 8:00 AM today, more than 4,400 operatives, supported by 1,600 ground resources, continued to fight about 50 rural fires in mainland Portugal, according to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC).
