Fourteen counties in the districts of Faro, Portalegre and Santarém have today a maximum danger of rural fire, on the day that the first reinforcement of the year of firefighting means begins.
In maximum danger of fire are the municipalities of Lagos, Portimão, Monchique, Silves, Loulé, São Brás de Alportel and Tavira (Faro), Portalegre, Marvão (Portalegre), Chamusca, Constância, Vila Nova da Barquinha, Tomar and Ferreira do Zêzere (Santarém). according to the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
Facing a very high fire danger are about 100 counties of Faro, Beja, Lisbon, Coimbra, Leiria, Santarém, Viseu, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Vila Real and Bragança.
Several counties in all (18) districts of mainland Portugal are at high risk of fire.
The fire danger, as determined by IPMA, has five levels, ranging from low to maximum.
The calculations are obtained from the air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.
This fire danger will remain high, gradually increasing until Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the year, the 2,867 fire incidents have affected 8,321 hectares of rural areas.
As of today, the means of fighting rural fires will be reinforced, with 10,400 operatives and 32 aerial means on the ground, two less than those initially planned.
The Special Device to Fight Rural Fires (DECIR) for this year was presented in April and accounted for 34 aircraft for the period 15 to May 31, but for the next 15 days will be operational 32 aircraft, according to the source of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The operatives involved in DECIR are elements belonging to the volunteer firemen, the Special Civil Protection Force, military personnel from the National Republican Guard, and elements from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, namely foresters and forest firefighters.
The firefighting resources will be reinforced again on June 1st, but it is between July and September, known as the most critical phase, that the largest number of personnel will be mobilized, with 13,891 operatives from 3,084 teams and 2,990 vehicles available this year, an increase of 7.5% compared to 2022.
