Portugal asks EU for assistance as wildfire reaches residential area

The Portuguese government has requested that the European Commission activate its Civil Protection Mechanism to combat wildfires in the Aveiro district, a source from Portugal’s Civil Protection Agency told Euronews.

Forest fires have engulfed homes and halted traffic on motorways in the region after several blazes broke out over the weekend, according to local authorities.

Under the Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Commission can provide assistance in the form of additional firefighters, water bombers and helicopters. It can also help by using satellite imagery from the Copernicus system — the Earth Observation component of the EU’s space programme — to track fires on the ground.

Several houses caught ablaze in Albergaria-a-Velha, on Portugal’s west coast, after a fire started in the neighbouring municipality of Sever do Vouga, a local authority source told Portuguese news agency Lusa.

According to the town’s mayor, António Loureiro, one neighbourhood has been evacuated and several others are expected to follow.

Four people have been injured, as authorities have cut off traffic to three major motorways including part of a main highway connecting the cities of Lisbon and Porto.

The municipality has issued a warning to the population to stay safe, and cancelled school classes on Monday.

All of mainland Portugal is currently on alert until Tuesday due to risk of fire as several fires remain active including in the areas of Sever do Vouga and Oliveira de Azeméis. 

Over 500 firefighters are battling the largest of the blazes, near Oliveira de Azemeis, south of Porto, according to local media on Sunday.

A firefighter from the São Mamede Infesta fire brigade, who was among those fighting the fire in Oliveira de Azeméis, was killed after suffering a cardiopulmonary arrest whilst fighting fires.