A ball of fire powered by the wind suddenly ‘turned on firefighters’ dousing flames in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo (Guarda) yesterday. One of those firefighters, the driver of the appliance feeding hoses, suffered serious burns trying to put the vehicle in reverse.
Shocking images of the group running to a place of safety were posted on social media, showing the intensity of the fire.
The injured professional was attended “as swiftly as possible”, and an INEM helicopter actioned to transport him to the burns unit in Coimbra hospital.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã suggests “it was a miracle” the firefighters survived at all.
But the prognosis of the most injured man is unclear. The firefighters are part of Pinhel fire station, and that municipality has cancelled its ‘festas’ (traditional summer parties) for today, out of respect and in solidarity, stressing how concerned it is for the man’s state of health.
The fire in the municipality started on Wednesday, and spread to the neighbouring boroughs of Almeida and Pinhel.
Today, it is still listed as ‘active’, with over 200 firefighters in combat, with the help of 73 appliances and six water-bombing aircraft.
Elsewhere, with a significant drop in temperatures forecast, the picture is one of slow improvement. Last night, three villages in Covilhã were ‘in confinement’ because of a sudden worsening of the fire there. This morning, that confinement was extended to a fourth village.
The fire is described as “still active and progressing intensely”, albeit hopes are that this will start to change with the help of water-bombing aerial support supplied under the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
This particular fire started well over a week ago (August 13) in Arganil (Coimbra district) and has also affected the municipalities of Castelo Branco and Fundão. It is already being considered as the ‘largest fire ever’ in Portugal’ of wildfires ‘since records began’.
As of yesterday, official data puts the tally of land burnt in this summer’s wildfires at 234,000 hectares, 53,000 of which have been devastated in the fire that began in Arganil. ND
Source material: LUSA/ Correio da Manhã/ Facebook
