More than 2,000 emergency personnel and around 20 aircraft have been deployed against rural fires burning across Portugal, according to figures published on August 18 by the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC).
Three incidents were classed as significant by mid-afternoon. The most serious was at Torre de Moncorvo, in Bragança district in the far northeast, where a fire that began on August 15 had drawn more than 400 personnel, over 140 vehicles and four aircraft.
More than 2,000 hectares have burned there since the blaze started. Local mayor José Meneses told broadcaster RTP he expected the fire to be declared under control within hours, allowing crews to move into the mop-up phase.
A second fire at Arouca, in Aveiro district on the northern coast, broke out late on August 17 and still had four active fronts the following morning. More than 300 firefighters, about 100 vehicles and two aircraft were committed, with ANEPC ordering precautionary measures in several villages.
At Santo Tirso, in the Porto metropolitan area, around 200 personnel and more than 60 vehicles were tackling a fire that has consumed more than 900 hectares since August 17.
The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere placed nine districts under an orange weather warning, with most of the rest of the mainland under a yellow warning. ANEPC forecast maximum temperatures above 40C in several regions alongside very low humidity, leaving the northern and central interior at very high to maximum fire risk.
Speaking after a meeting at civil protection headquarters, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said the country still faced weeks of heightened complexity and called 2026 another tough year for forest fires. He insisted the operational response in place was the largest ever assembled.
Government figures point to burnt land running around four times lower than at the same point in 2025. Data from the national rural fire management system show 60,572 hectares burned between January 1 and August 18 across 6,572 fires, a 13 per cent rise in ignitions and the fifth worst year for burnt area in the past decade.
Montenegro also praised internal administration minister Luís Neves, who attended the meeting and faces trial at the Court of Auditors over public contracts signed while he headed the Polícia Judiciária criminal investigation force. Neves denies wrongdoing and says he remains legitimate in the post.
Chega leader André Ventura has repeatedly demanded his resignation. The row has run through a season in which wildfires have already cost Europe more than €3 billion, according to industry estimates.
Five firefighters from Vinhais were injured on August 15 when their vehicle was destroyed by flames in Bragança district. Two were taken to hospital in Porto with serious burns.
