Overview

• Around 2,500 firefighters are engaged on ten active fronts, with the blazes in Arouca and Ponte da Barca demanding the largest deployments.
• Authorities have evacuated four villages near Ponte da Barca, relocating about 150 residents to a municipal pavilion for safety.
• A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested by the Polícia Judiciária for allegedly igniting four forest fires in Terras de Bouro and Vieira do Minho on July 4–5.
• Portugal remains under a ‘maximum or very high’ fire-risk alert as temperatures reach up to 40 °C and strong winds continue to fuel the fires.
• Lisbon will bolster its aerial fleet to 76 aircraft from August, supplementing the 29 planes and helicopters currently assisting ground crews.