The fire in Covilhã, which started in Piódão, was the one requiring the most resources, said Commander Miguel Oliveira of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).

“At this moment, five fires remain active, necessarily requiring additional resources. We have the Piódão fire [which is affecting Covilhã] with 369 vehicles and 1,104 personnel, and the Poiares de Freixo de Espada à Cinta fire [Bragança], which currently mobilizes 115 vehicles and 342 personnel,” Commander Miguel Oliveira of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told Lusa.

This morning, the fire in the village of Serra, in Sabugal, in the district of Guarda, remained active, being fought by 222 firefighters, supported by 69 vehicles.

In the municipality of Tarouca, district of Viseu, the fire in the town of Vilarinho remained active, mobilizing 207 firefighters, supported by 67 vehicles. The fire in Valverde da Gestosa, in the municipality of Mirandela (Bragança), had 119 firefighters and 40 ground vehicles.

When asked if any villages were at risk from the fires, Miguel Oliveira said he could not confirm this.

"The fire situation is very volatile, and more detailed information will be easier to obtain from command posts," he said.

Regarding the health status of the Covilhã firefighter seriously injured in the traffic accident that occurred in that municipality involving a firefighter vehicle, which resulted in one death, Miguel Oliveira said he had no new information.

"One of the officers was undergoing surgical intervention [on Sunday night], but I don't have any new information on that situation," he said.

Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple rural fires since July, especially in the North and Central regions, amid high temperatures that led to the declaration of a state of alert on August 2nd.

On Sunday, the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, announced that the alert due to the heightened risk of fires was extended until midnight on Tuesday.

The alert, which began on August 2nd, had already been renewed until midnight on Sunday, now valid for another 48 hours.

The fires have caused two deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, most of them minor, and completely or partially destroyed first and second homes, as well as farms, livestock farms, and forestry.

Portugal has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which two Fire Boss aircraft are expected to arrive on Monday to reinforce firefighting efforts.

According to provisional official data, as of August 18, 185,753 hectares had burned in the country, more than the area burned in all of 2024.