May climate conditions in Portugal be favorable for extinguishing the huge fire affecting the country, but authorities continue to fight on the fiery fronts.
The mobilization of 1,600 firefighters and aerial media for the great fire in downtown Portugal for 10 days seems to have results in combination with the drop in temperature.
“This is probably the biggest fire ever recorded in Portugal,” said Paulo Fernandes, a professor at the Department of Forest Sciences at TRAS-OS-Montes University, talking about the fire started by Argkan.
According to the professor, the fire has burned 600,000 acres.
Fires in Portugal active now:
– Serra da Estrela, the worst of all, with over 60 thousand hectares devastated.
– Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo.
– A small fire in Fafe.
– Mirandela and keys in the aftermath phase. They are over, fortunately. #Portugal #Fires #fires pic.twitter.com/lzYpQ43i4s– Borders (@fronteiraspt) August 21, 2025
Similar is the situation in neighboring Spain, which has been hit by fires, but in Portugal it seems that on Thursday, there is a respite on the forest fires, thanks to the fall of temperatures that will continue in the coming days.
Since the end of July, fires have already cause the death of three people and the serious injury of many, mainly firefighters, while several houses and crops were destroyed.
Wildfires in Spain & Portugal have forced evacuations.
Spain already hit its highest annual fire emissions on record, while Portugal nears historic highs.
#CopernicusEU support the response.#ImageOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/a2XHMMH8ph
– Copernicus football (@copernicusise) August 20, 2025
Portugal has requested aid a week ago under the European Civil Protection Mechanism with the forces sent to be two Swedish aircraft, two Greek Canadair CL-415 and a French helicopter Super Puma.
“Only those who do not know the country (…) can think that it is possible to be everywhere at any time and to predict the appearance and rapid spread of all the fires,” said Prime Minister Luis Modtenegro criticized for the management of disaster.
Following the completion of the Council of Ministers’ meeting on Thursday 21.08.2025, emergency assistance measures were announced for fire residents and farmers. The need for a reflection on forest management and the Civil Protection System has also been recognized.
Wildfires gripping Spain and Portugal forced evacuations and the deployment of thousands of emergency personnel as a heatwave continues to ravage the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited regions affected by forest fires in Ourense and León. pic.twitter.com/VZ166oCtVr
– De las achaye (@achayegodfrey) August 18, 2025
They ask for explanations
The Portuguese Prime Minister will explain the management of fires on Wednesday before parliament as requested by the opposition.
According to the European Forestry Information System (EFFIS), a Copernicus European Observatory Index, about 2,760,000 acres have been burned in Portugal since the beginning of the year.
Portugal has the European record from compliance in 2006 with 5,630,000 acres of burned land in 2017 in fires in which 119 people died. About 2,160,000 acres have been burned in the country since the beginning of the year.