Next 12 hours “will still be complex”; rains forecast could cause landslides
PSP police found two drums containing flammable material near a forest area in Ovar in the Aveiro district last night.
In a statement, the force explains the drums were found by agents during a crime prevention mission in forest areas.
The drums were “abandoned on the side of a road on the edge of the forest area, close to a residential and commercial area of the town”, but “hidden among the grass”. Obviously, they have been ‘seized’ and are being held by authorities.
Meantime, the situation is as expected. The next 12 hours will still be complex, and rain forecast will bring its own potential dangers.
National civil protection commander André Fernandes explained this afternoon that the weather is expected to make a fairly radical change from 8pm, with showers expected to begin in the south of the country and gradually spreading to the centre and north, where rain could become heavy on Friday and Saturday.
As Fernandes stressed, the areas affected by the fires will be without the cover of vegetation, thus much more exposed and vulnerable to precipitation. Loose objects could be dragged onto the roads, and landslides could occur, he warned.
It is exactly the same risk facing Madeira after its two week nightmare with fires: all authorities can do now is try and remain prepared for all eventualities.
Source material: LUSA
