Latest news and stories about public safety in Guarda, Portugal for expats and residents.
The National Republican Guard has conducted over 400 rescue and protection operations in mountainous regions since the start of 2024, primarily concentrated in the Serra da Estrela area.
A severe forest fire in the village of Carrapichana, Fornos de Algodres, is threatening local homes as emergency crews struggle to contain the blaze spreading toward Celorico da Beira.
Recent analyses confirm that human-induced climate change has increased the likelihood of major wildfires in Spain by twentyfold, resulting in significant displacement and destruction.
Civil Protection has brought the wildfire in Rochoso, Guarda, under control after it consumed up to 5,000 hectares, though dozens of municipalities remain at maximum risk.
A major wildfire in Guarda remains uncontrolled with three active fronts, involving 350 personnel and resulting in five minor injuries among emergency responders, though no residential areas are currently threatened.
Mainland Portugal is currently under maximum or very high wildfire risk, prompting the deployment of over 1,500 emergency personnel and 30 aircraft to manage the critical situation across multiple districts.
A victim with severe respiratory distress was located in the Lagoa dos Cântaros area.
A case of severe respiratory distress required a person to be airlifted from Serra da Estrela in a rescue operation involving firefighters, civil protection, and the air force.
Firefighters cannot stop responding to emergencies because fuel prices are rising, warns the president of the Guarda District Firefighters Federation. The support provided to associations in the municipality is not enough.
Both Guarda and Castelo Branco are under a yellow warning until Saturday due to high temperatures.
In April 2025, guards intercepted drugs intended for the ringleader, who is detained at the Guarda prison. The case involves 24 defendants.
In April 2025, guards intercepted drugs intended for the ringleader, who is detained at the Guarda prison. The case involves 24 defendants.
The detainee, who was on parole for previous convictions for drug trafficking and qualified theft, will be presented to the Guarda Department of Investigation and Penal Action for the application of coercive measures.
There is also one minor injury reported, a 49-year-old man.
A 55-year-old man was arrested by the Guarda Judicial Police and is required to undergo alcohol detoxification treatment.
The fires were allegedly started “using a direct flame, with no apparent motive, near a rural path with scattered residential housing.”
Minors used lighters to start fires in the central region, in Seia and Tábua. One of them was unaware of the danger, says the Judiciary Police.
The Judiciary Police state that the youth allegedly committed the crime “without apparent motive”
The fires were allegedly started “using a direct flame, with no apparent motive, near a rural path with scattered residential housing.”
The “Tranca Segura” operation exposed an organised trafficking scheme targeting several prisons, leading to the application of coercive measures and the seizure of drugs, money, and weapons in an extensive action by the Judicial Police.
The charges involve aggravated drug trafficking, criminal association, money laundering, and illegal possession of a weapon.
The fire started around 8:30 pm on Friday, with the suspect having ignited it using vegetation pruning waste that he had accumulated inside a dry water channel.
Accident caused one serious injury and two minor injuries. The injured were transported to the Guarda Hospital.
Two internal disciplinary proceedings have been opened regarding alleged information leaks and connections to the case involving Construbarcelos.
The charges involve aggravated drug trafficking, criminal association, money laundering, and illegal possession of a weapon.
At the start of this week, 20 people were arrested who, “in an organised manner, supplied narcotics to the Guarda, Viseu, Coimbra and Lamego Prisons”. What wasn’t made clear, but The post PJ police crack prison drug trafficking network, led by inmate appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Twenty people, 17 men and three women, were arrested by the Judiciary Police (PJ) for organised supply of narcotics to the prisons of Guarda, Viseu, Coimbra and Lamego. These actions led to the sequential arrest of three men and one woman attempting to introduce hashish resin carried inside their bodies, cocaine hidden inside a meat roll, and synthetic drugs impregnated in supposed children's letters written on paper, according to a press release. The crimes involved include aggravated drug trafficking, criminal association, money laundering and possession of a prohibited weapon. The investigation identified the entire group, who were also distributing illicit products in their local communities, specifically in the cities of Guarda and Viseu. This operation, named 'Tranca Segura' (Secure Lock), follows a year-long investigation in collaboration with the Prison Guard Corps and the Guarda Prison management, prompted by preventative actions at the Guarda prison following the detection and seizure of narcotics inside. As a result, 23 search warrants were executed, and 19 arrest warrants were carried out. One individual was also arrested in flagrante delicto for possession of a prohibited weapon. Searches were also conducted at the prisons of Guarda, Coimbra and Lamego. Approximately 81,000 euros in cash, 80 individual doses of heroin, 120 doses of cocaine, seven papers impregnated with narcotics, two firearms, 71 rounds of ammunition, four precision scales, 31 mobile phones and three vehicles were seized. The detainees will be presented to the Guarda Public Prosecutor's Office (DIAP).
The detainees are suspected of supplying narcotics to the prisons in Guarda, Viseu, Coimbra, and Lamego.
The network used unusual methods: hashish pollen transported on the body, cocaine inside a meat roll, and synthetic drugs impregnated into supposed children's messages.
The group did not limit itself to supplying inmates: it also sold narcotics outside, specifically in the cities of Guarda and Viseu.
