During the early morning hours, we controlled the fire and are now proceeding with work to consolidate the perimeter and eliminate hot spots,” explained Vítor Rentes, the commander of the Freixo de Espada à Cinta Fire Department in the Bragança district.
The commander added that the greatest concerns in fighting this fire occurred in the middle of Friday afternoon when the flames threatened a patch of pine forest bordering the village of Mazouco, but they were “controlled” by the resources on the ground.
“Another situation we encountered was that the fire became entrenched in the Arribas do Douro area, where firefighting was more difficult due to the terrain’s orography, which is very hard to access,” the operational officer highlighted.
At one point, more than 150 Portuguese and Spanish firefighters and about ten aerial resources were involved in combating this fire.
The first alert was given at 13:29 on Friday for the parish of Mazouco.
Mazouco is a locality situated in the heart of the Douro International Natural Park (PNDI).
According to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) website, as of 12:30, there were 87 operational personnel supported by 24 vehicles and one aerial resource at the site.
