Out of seemingly ‘nowhere’ two separate fires started this afternoon in Pedrógão Grande – the municipality known for the highest loss of human lives in a single fire in Portugal’s recent history.
Eight years ago, 66 people died and multiple homes and businesses were destroyed when wildfires took hold and devastated the region.
Today – which started so promisingly (with only one ‘major fire’ still causing concern) – there are now more headaches for Civil Protection/ firefighters and home and landowners, and they are back in a place that haunts the collective psyche.
These two fires appear to be the work of arson. GNR/ PJ police are already on the ground, investigating.
According to reports, the fires began fairly close to each other within around an hour this afternoon.
The first one began in the parish of Pedrógão Grande, very close to people’s homes, at around 2.30pm, the second in the parish of Graça at roughly 3.20pm. The second fire is described at having caused ‘projections’ (flaming material like pine cones, etc., shooting from trees) that have already caused ignitions within the municipality of Sertã.
The IC8 (small connecting road between Pedrógão Grande and Pedrógão Pequeno) had to be closed around 3pm, and later the EN2 (national road) because of the proximity of flames.
Television reporters are already transmitting images showing fairly intense fires and a lot of smoke. Reports coming through around 7pm this evening described the evacuation of five villages, as a precaution (Marroquil, Torneira, Romão, Agria and Sobreiro)
Aerial resources are at work, and will be until the light fails; hundreds of firefighters are in combat. This is a real ‘low blow’ on a day when the feeling had been that the overall picture was looking ‘a lot better’. ND
