Nearly 500 emergency personnel were deployed on Tuesday night to battle a major wildfire in Torre de Moncorvo that spread into Carrazeda de Ansiães.
Firefighters faced an active fire front in terrain with difficult access as emergency teams prioritized protecting local residents and critical infrastructure.
Figures released by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority showed 491 operational personnel supported by 160 ground vehicles were fighting the flames by 11:10 p.m. on Tuesday. Ground and aerial resources have been mobilized to contain the blaze three days after it first broke out on Saturday.
The Second Regional Commander of the North, Luís Araújo, reported at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday that a shift in wind direction caused the fire front to gain intensity. He explained that hard to reach terrain was complicating firefighting operations across the affected zones.
Araújo emphasized that protecting people and property remained the primary objective for emergency crews, adding that local populations had been warned of the advancing danger.
Threats to Communities and Farmland
The continuing wildfire has generated widespread fear among local residents and caused damage to agricultural land across the region.
Bragança Republican National Guard public relations officer Major Hernâni Martins identified the village of Seixo de Ansiães, located in the municipality of Carrazeda de Ansiães, as the area of highest concern.
Martins said authorities were proactively speaking with and advising residents in advance so that citizens could maintain their personal safety and safeguard their property.
The ongoing emergency response has also required traffic restrictions across local transport networks. Martins detailed that municipal authorities closed several roads, including routes between Besteiros and Seixo de Ansiães, as well as between Seixo de Ansiães and Coleja.
Widespread Mobilization in Bragança District
The blaze has continued without respite since Saturday, when it initially ignited in Torre de Moncorvo before expanding across municipal boundaries.
More than 420 personnel had previously been engaged as the flames threatened residential homes in the parish of Lousa.
Torre de Moncorvo and Carrazeda de Ansiães are rural municipalities located in the Bragança district of northeastern Portugal. The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, known as ANEPC, coordinates disaster response operations across Portugal alongside the Republican National Guard, which oversees rural policing and road safety.
