According to the Sub-regional Command of Civil Protection of the Setúbal Peninsula, this morning 63 operatives supported by 31 vehicles remained at the site, with no estimate yet for the completion of the mop-up operations.
The mayor of Seixal, Paulo Silva, said on Thursday that the fire destroyed about 230 hectares of scrubland in that municipality, in the district of Setúbal, adding that the burned area in the neighboring municipality of Sesimbra was likely much larger.
The total burned area in the two municipalities has not yet been officially announced, but operatives involved in fighting the flames told Lusa that the fire may have destroyed “about 700 hectares of scrubland and forest areas.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Sub-regional Command of Civil Protection of the Setúbal Peninsula indicated that the fire was caused by a burning vehicle traveling on the A33 highway and “spread to a scrubland area” in the parish of Amora, in the municipality of Seixal.
By late Wednesday afternoon, the flames had spread to the forest area of Herdade da Apostiça, in the municipality of Sesimbra, despite the efforts of more than 500 operatives and 12 aerial resources in the firefighting operation.
The fire did not cause any casualties, although three firefighters suffered minor injuries, one due to trauma and two from exhaustion.