Wildfire in Fornos de Algodres spreads across 10 km as 370 firefighters battle the blaze

Overnight flare-up

A rural fire broke out on the night of Monday 2 November at Maceira, in the municipality of Fornos de Algodres in the Guarda district, with the first alert logged at 22:50. The flames burned through scrub and farmland and came close to houses at Fonte Fria. Crews had the blaze under control by the end of the night, but it flared again overnight and gained strength when strong winds picked up early on Tuesday 3 November.

“The fire came close to the houses at Fonte Fria, but we managed to control it, and the situation was regarded as dominated by the end of the night.”

Mayor Alexandre Lote told the Lusa news agency that the re-ignitions came after that initial control. Aerial units only began operating at 09:00 on Tuesday, and ground teams on foot were reinforced in the scrub and farmland. The operation grew steadily through the morning and afternoon as the fire kept moving.

Resources on the ground

Notícias ao Minuto reported that 191 operatives, 55 vehicles and three aerial units were fighting the fire at 10:00 on Tuesday. The national emergency authority ANEPC recorded 206 operatives and 61 vehicles at 11:00, and 370 operatives, four aerial units and 101 vehicles at 15:30. The mayor said around 400 operatives, five aerial units and more than 100 vehicles were committed, a figure he gave in an interview with the same agency. Earlier counts reported by Diário de Notícias put the morning deployment at 247 operatives, so the numbers are still rising and the latest ANEPC count is the most recent measure available.

2026-11-03T10:00

191 operatives

2026-11-03T11:00

206 operatives

2026-11-03T15:30

370 operatives

Data from the article text

Wind and dry vegetation

The mayor described the wind as very strong and changing direction often, which he said makes the work very difficult for crews. He said the fire line was close to 10 km long and had already spread into Viseu district. Commander João Rodrigues of the Beiras and Serra da Estrela sub-regional command told Rádio Observador that the fire had left the night about 6 km long and had advanced roughly 4 km more with the wind, which he called the engine of the fire. He said two active flanks, each about 6 km long, were being fought with ground and aerial resources, and that the wind was expected to keep its speed through the day. The overnight vegetation was mainly gorse 1.5 to 2 metres tall, while pine stands were being affected by Tuesday.

SIC Notícias reported that there had been no rain for weeks, so the soil did not hold enough moisture to offset the dryness of the vegetation.

Villages in the fire's path

Matança is the village of greatest concern, because the flames came close to scattered houses in the hills there, although the village centre was better protected by cultivated farmland nearby. Maceira, Forcadas in Aguiar da Beira, Prado and Matela, the last one already in Penalva do Castelo, are also being watched. The mayor said no villages or homes in Fornos de Algodres were at risk, though he expected the situation might be different if the wind changed. A local resident told SIC Notícias that he had lost an olive grove near Fonte Fria and had not yet been able to reach the land to assess the damage. He said the stretch of mountain where the fire was advancing had never burned in his 65 years.

Injuries and outlook

A volunteer firefighter was unwell during the operation, and the mayor said he was being monitored and that it was nothing serious. The mayor said the outcome depends on the weather during the afternoon, and that it is not yet possible to say when the fire will be controlled. Updated operational figures are being published on the ANEPC page as the operation continues.

“It will depend a lot on the weather during the afternoon, the behaviour of the wind will be decisive.”