Portugal has deployed nearly 2,700 firefighters to battle multiple wildfires raging across its northern and central regions. The blazes have forced the evacuation of villages and put much of the country on high alert.
The most serious fires are concentrated in areas such as Arouca and Ponte da Barca. In Ponte da Barca, four villages were evacuated as a precaution, with around 150 residents moved to a municipal pavilion for safety. In Terras de Bouro, a fire spread to within metres of residential homes, where firefighters worked to create a water line to protect properties.
Authorities have arrested a suspect linked to four separate fires in the northern districts. They say the fires were ignited between 4 and 5 July.
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere has placed most of the country’s municipalities under a “maximum or very high” fire risk warning, with temperatures expected to exceed 30°C. This wave of wildfires follows weeks of hot, dry conditions and strong winds, which have contributed to the fires spreading and reigniting in some areas. Provisional data shows that more than 22,000 hectares of land have already burned since the start of 2025.
