Commander Pedro Araújo, from ANEPC, said that it was possible to control a set of fires during the night due to more favourable weather conditions.

“The situation today is much calmer than yesterday [Thursday]. We have a set of fires considered to be under control and we still have pending, still ongoing, the two fires in the municipality of Castro Daire, specifically in Serra de Montemuro”, he indicated.

According to ANEPC, at 9:15 am, the fire that broke out at 9:30 pm on Thursday in Mões/Soutelo, in the municipality of Castro Daire, was mobilizing 729 operational personnel, with the support of 235 land resources.

The fire that broke out at 12:46 pm on Tuesday in Pinheiro, Moção, in Castro Daire, was being fought by 86 operational personnel, with the support of 30 vehicles.

“During the night, it was possible to control a group of fires, taking into account the favorable weather conditions. In some regions, it rained and this was a good contribution to ensuring that the fires could be controlled during the night”, he said.

According to civil protection, the fire in Penalva do Castelo, district of Viseu, entered the resolution phase this morning.

The fire that broke out on Wednesday afternoon in the parish of Alvarenga, in Arouca, a municipality in the district of Aveiro and the Metropolitan Area of ​​Porto (AMP), is now in the resolution phase.

The two fires that broke out in Sabroso de Aguiar and in Veria de Jales and Quintã and that were reactivated on Thursday afternoon in Vila Pouca de Aguiar, in the district of Vila Real, are also in the resolution phase.

Commander Pedro Araújo also said that rain is expected across the mainland today and Saturday, which will definitively contribute to putting out all the fires and to the rescue operations.

The area burned in mainland Portugal since Sunday exceeds 121 thousand hectares, according to the European Copernicus system, which shows that in the North and Central regions more than 100 thousand hectares have already burned, 83% of the area burned in the entire national territory.

The Government has declared a state of emergency in all municipalities affected by the fires in recent days and today is a day of national mourning.