Environment: Wildfires news in Portugal

The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA) has placed all districts in northern and central Portugal, as well as Faro, under maximum wildfire risk. Only about 40 coastal municipalities currently face lower risk levels, and authorities expect the danger to remain high throughout the week.

The environmental association Zero has warned that rural fires in 2025 have already destroyed 98% of the total land area projected to burn throughout the entire 2020-2030 decade. While operational responses have improved, 2025 was the fourth worst year for burnt area since 2001, with 271,000 hectares lost. Zero criticized the Integrated Fire Management Agency (Agência para a Gestão Integrada de Fogos Rurais or AGIF) for a lack of leadership and failure to implement necessary preventive measures.

Authorities have placed approximately 50 municipalities across the Northern Interior, Centre, and Algarve regions under maximum wildfire risk. High temperatures and dry conditions have prompted emergency warnings as the country enters a period of heightened fire danger.

The Portuguese government has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism and bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco to bolster firefighting efforts. Over 1,500 personnel are currently battling six active fires, with the blaze in Vouzela identified as the primary concern. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro confirmed that reinforcements are necessary due to the extreme wildfire risk across the entire country.

Update: International aid arrives as wildfires spread nationwide

More than 3,000 personnel are now deployed to combat five critical wildfires, including major blazes in Vouzela, Barcelos, and Setúbal. The fire in Vouzela has already consumed over 12,000 hectares, and authorities report at least 17 injuries among firefighters and civilians as extreme heat and strong winds complicate containment efforts.

Tiago Oliveira, the former president of the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (Agência para a Gestão Integrada de Fogos Rurais or AGIF), has criticized the agency's recent transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture. During a parliamentary inquiry, Oliveira argued that the move has diminished the agency's political influence and warned of rising costs in the international aerial firefighting rental market.

The government has reinforced aerial surveillance to combat an increased risk of rural fires, with a focus on 26 municipalities hit by storm Kristin last winter. A surveillance centre at the Monte Real Air Base is now active, with officials coordinating the deployment of drones and aircraft to monitor conditions as extreme heat is expected.

From the extreme spring rain to the devastating summer wildfires, Portugal emerges as one of the examples of climate instability on the continent that is warming faster than the rest of the world.

More than 100 personnel and three aircraft are currently fighting a wildfire in the Pedra Bela area of the Peneda-Gerês National Park (Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês). Authorities from the Cávado Sub-regional Command for Emergency and Civil Protection (Comando Sub-regional de Emergência e Proteção Civil do Cávado) report that no homes are currently at risk. The fire broke out Saturday afternoon in the municipality of Terras de Bouro, involving multiple fire brigades and the GNR.

Update: Wildfire in Peneda-Gerês National Park brought under control

Emergency services have brought the fire in Terras de Bouro under control (dominado), with the status downgraded to the resolution phase (resolução) as of Sunday afternoon. While 81 personnel and 22 vehicles remain on-site for mop-up operations (rescaldo), the immediate threat to the national park has subsided. One aerial asset was used throughout the morning to douse remaining hotspots in difficult-to-access terrain.