Latest news and stories about wildfire prevention in Portugal for expats and residents.
A new satellite-based platform called LandOS – A Minha Terra now allows users to check wildfire susceptibility for land parcels across mainland Portugal. Developed by a Dutch company, the tool uses 10-metre resolution imagery and mathematical models to provide fire risk predictions at the parish level for the upcoming summer season.
Tiago Oliveira has resigned as president of the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (Agência para a Gestão Integrada de Fogos Rurais or AGIF) citing personal reasons. Paulo Rainha Mateus, currently a board member, will succeed him as head of the agency starting May 16. Oliveira had led the organization since its creation in 2017.
The Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (Agência para a Gestão Integrada de Fogos Rurais or AGIF) is a public body created in 2018 to coordinate fire prevention and suppression strategies across Portugal. It works to reduce the risk of large-scale wildfires by managing land use and improving inter-agency cooperation.
The video surveillance and automatic rural fire detection system covers only about 45% of the mainland territory, out of a total of four million hectares of forest, mainly in the North and Centre regions, reports Jornal de Notícias (paywall). Several high-risk areas, such as the National Park of..., remain uncovered.
JN: The video surveillance and automatic rural fire detection system covers only half of the country. DN: By the end of the year, health centres must be equipped to perform cancer screenings.
Nine years after the fires that killed 66 people, the victims' association warns of trees still left fallen and appeals to the Government to give 'great importance' to prevention.
Parliamentary deputy Paula Santos states that the party will alert the Ministers of Internal Administration and Agriculture to “prevent fires given the amount of biomass” on the ground.
The threats follow an Israeli attack on Beirut. Furthermore, the Minister of Internal Administration assures that the fight against wildfires will not fail due to funding issues.
The clearing of land – which is of the utmost urgency – was not done, nor is it being done.
The Minister of Internal Administration (MAI) guaranteed today that firefighter associations “can rest easy” regarding the increase in expenses during the wildfire season because the “Government is prepared to look at other extraordinary solutions” for funding.
The final version of the bill was approved with the favourable votes of the PSD, Chega, IL and CDS-PP, the opposition of Livre, PCP and BE, and the abstention of the PS, PAN and JPP.
The Assembly of the Republic has passed a new law introducing measures such as the use of inmates to clear brush to prevent wildfires and authorizing police to conduct regular stop-and-search operations in areas with high social impact crime.
Civil Protection reminds the public that burning, cooking food in rural areas with fire, burning piles of vegetation, and the use of equipment such as brush cutters, motor mowers, and shredders are prohibited.
An analysis of whether the Spanish strategy of using bison to manage vegetation and prevent forest fires could be a viable solution for Portugal.
Luís Neves admits to fearing the wildfire season, especially in Leiria, where there is still “a lot of wood” and roads that are “completely destroyed”. Additionally, the CGTP says that demonstrations across the country were peaceful.
In Catalonia, farmers are turning vineyards and truffles into unexpected allies against wildfires, with a direct impact on how Europe prepares its territory for fire.
The European Union has initiated its most extensive wildfire prevention campaign to date, identifying Portugal as one of the key nations for resource allocation and support.
The European Union will deploy two light aircraft and 60 firefighters to Portugal between 16 July and 31 August via the European Civil Protection Mechanism to support rural firefighting efforts. These resources were announced in Brussels as part of the EU's most ambitious wildfire response plan to date, which will see 777 firefighters pre-positioned across six high-risk countries. The Portuguese contingent will consist of 20 firefighters from Latvia in July and 40 from Malta in August, tasked with assisting national crews if fire intensity exceeds local response capacity.
Portugal secures assistance from the European Union, including two firefighting planes and 60 personnel, to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.
Until November 30, the DECIR will have a permanent operational structure that involves the coordinated action of several entities.
The rural firefighting apparatus is being reinforced for the second time this year, with 13,335 personnel and 78 aerial assets now in the field. The Charlie level of readiness will remain in effect until June 30.
A new phase of wildfire response readiness begins today. High temperatures are forecast, and in the centre of the country, one of the regions most affected by storm Kristin, a significant amount of woody debris remains to be cleared. News media are filled with alerts for a summer that is feared to be particularly hot and demanding.
This is the second reinforcement of resources this year, which will remain in effect until 30 June.
This is the second reinforcement of resources this year, under what is known as 'Charlie level', which will remain in effect until June 30.
It is a race against time. Cleaning the Portuguese forest after the storms can help prevent fires in the hot months.
Aerial surveillance is part of this year's reinforced operational strategy, in a campaign where the Air Force assumes, for the first time, in addition to operating aerial assets, the operational direction of the aerial component for fighting rural fires.
Two aircraft are currently deployed in Vila Real to assist with operations.
Prime Minister announces the largest rural firefighting force ever
