Five villages have been evacuated as a precaution due to the two fires that have been burning since this Saturday in the Portuguese municipality of Pedrógão Grande, reported a source from the Portuguese Republican National Guard.

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A major fire broke out in this municipality in June 2017, killing more than 60 people and injuring hundreds. The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has identified two active fires in the areas of São Vicente and Graça.

At 1900 local time (one hour off GMT), 400 troops, 100 vehicles and 16 aircraft were on the ground in São Vicente. There were 190 firefighters, 479 vehicles and 3 aircraft in Graça.

Efforts also continue to combat the still-active fire that originated 11 days ago in the municipality of Arganil, in the district of Coimbra, and which has spread to the districts of Castelo Branco and Guarda (bordering Spain), with more than 1,600 personnel, 500 vehicles, and 18 aircraft.

Three injuries were recorded today, requiring transfer to medical centers: two firefighters and one civilian, although the ANEPC did not provide details about their health status.

According to the ANEPC, which plans to maintain alert level 4 until next Monday, 57 incidents have been recorded this Saturday in the peninsular territory of Portugal, 12 of them during the night, concentrated between the North and Center regions of the country.

As of 7:00 p.m. local time, nearly 2,300 firefighters, 750 vehicles, and 30 aircraft were mobilized across all incidents.

The wave of fires that has ravaged the country this summer has left four dead, the latest being an employee of a company dedicated to extinguishing fires who died this morning as a result of injuries sustained on Tuesday while fighting the flames in the municipality of Sabugal, located in the Portuguese district of Guarda and near the Spanish province of Salamanca.

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