Alert Wildfires in Portugal

[Former member 88968]

We are still 4 weeks away from commencing our Camino in Lisbon, but I am becoming increasingly concerned about the epidemic of wildfires in Portugal. It seems that there are fairly large areas north of Tomar and Ansiao which are currently burning and the govt has called a state of emergency.

If you are currently in this region, I sincerely hope you are safe and well and stay that way! I'd be interested to know if and how you are keeping up to date with conditions as they change. Are albergues able to provide safety advice? Are you currently restricted from walking through certain areas?

And of course thoughts and prayers go out to all those local villagers who may be losing property, livelihoods and even lives at this time.

 

[kenwilltravel]

We are still 4 weeks away from commencing our Camino in Lisbon, but I am becoming increasingly concerned about the epidemic of wildfires in Portugal. It seems that there are fairly large areas north of Tomar and Ansiao which are currently burning and the govt has called a state of emergency.

If you are currently in this region, I sincerely hope you are safe and well and stay that way! I'd be interested to know if and how you are keeping up to date with conditions as they change. Are albergues able to provide safety advice? Are you currently restricted from walking through certain areas?

And of course thoughts and prayers go out to all those local villagers who may be losing property, livelihoods and even lives at this time.

We live in the Algarve and are watching this like a hawk. We well remember last year when we could see the smoke from our apartment window. This is a problem every summer in Portugal (and Spain) but is particularly worrisome right now because of a severe drought in much of Portugal combined with a heat wave this week. For anyone who wants to monitor this on a daily basis, I recommend an app called Fogos.pt. Right now, it shows a new fire about 25 km away. It even tells us how many firetrucks and firefighters have been dispatched. Here in Portugal, by the way, we revere our bombeiros, most of whom are volunteers.

 

[kenwilltravel]

The U.S. consulate in Lisbon just released the following alert:

Event: Due to increased risk posed by wildfires across the country, the Portuguese government has declared a countrywide State of Contingency beginning Monday, July 11, 2022 until Friday, July 15, 2022. Additionally, the local weather service has indicated hot dry temperatures throughout the country, which may exacerbate the risk of wildfires. As a result, the majority of the country will be considered at “extreme risk”, “very high risk”, or “high risk” for the remainder of the week.

The Portuguese government will implement the following exceptional restrictive measures:

• Prohibition of access: certain forest spaces previously defined in the Municipal Fire Protection Plans, as well as in forest paths, rural paths and other roads that cross them, may be closed.
• Fires: Prohibition of carrying out fires, bonfires, and controlled burning.
• Industrial Work: Prohibition of carrying out work in forest areas using any type of machinery, with the exception of those associated with rural firefighting situations.
• Certain Lumber Activities: Prohibition of carrying out work in other rural areas using metal blade or disc mowers, brush cutters, shredders and machines with blades or front shovel.
• Fireworks: Total ban on the use of fireworks or other pyrotechnic artifacts, regardless of their form of combustion, as well as the suspension of permits that have been previously issued.

Actions to Take:

• Monitor local media for updates.
• Track updates to high-risk areas using the Risk Level Map.
• View the Portugal.gov.pt for the full text and list of restrictions.
• Avoid dangerous areas.
• Make contingency plans in case you need to leave.
• Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• Notify friends and family of your safety.

 

[Former member 88968]

..., I recommend an app called Fogos.pt. Right now, it shows a new fire about 25 km away. It even tells us how many firetrucks and firefighters have been dispatched. Here in Portugal, by the way, we revere our bombeiros, most of whom are volunteers.

Many thanks for the tip about the app. I have downloaded it and it provides excellent up to date information

Davybhoy

 

[hunsta]

We are still 4 weeks away from commencing our Camino in Lisbon, but I am becoming increasingly concerned about the epidemic of wildfires in Portugal. It seems that there are fairly large areas north of Tomar and Ansiao which are currently burning and the govt has called a state of emergency.

If you are currently in this region, I sincerely hope you are safe and well and stay that way! I'd be interested to know if and how you are keeping up to date with conditions as they change. Are albergues able to provide safety advice? Are you currently restricted from walking through certain areas?

And of course thoughts and prayers go out to all those local villagers who may be losing property, livelihoods and even lives at this time.

As a fellow aussie and past rural firefighter. Hope the fire emergency passes for your trip mate. And hoping it passes without too much grief for the locals living in the area. Summer 2019/20 is only too fresh in our minds.
Bom Caminho

 

[Michael55]

As a fellow aussie and past rural firefighter. Hope the fire emergency passes for your trip mate. And hoping it passes without too much grief for the locals living in the area. Summer 2019/20 is only too fresh in our minds.
Bom Caminho

We are still 4 weeks away from commencing our Camino in Lisbon, but I am becoming increasingly concerned about the epidemic of wildfires in Portugal. It seems that there are fairly large areas north of Tomar and Ansiao which are currently burning and the govt has called a state of emergency.

If you are currently in this region, I sincerely hope you are safe and well and stay that way! I'd be interested to know if and how you are keeping up to date with conditions as they change. Are albergues able to provide safety advice? Are you currently restricted from walking through certain areas?

And of course thoughts and prayers go out to all those local villagers who may be losing property, livelihoods and even lives at this time.

I walked to Freixandria Saturday from Ansiao on the Rota Carmelita to Fatima. I received verbal advice from a nice couple on the way that the fire was controlled along the path. I paid attention to the ash on the ground and smoky air and where the helicopters were so I felt reasonably safe. That said the route went on a paved country road through an area still smoldering on both sides with occasional flames. It was sad to see the loss of the farmers olive trees. Temps were a bit hotter than the 100 on my app due to the burn heat. Stayed a great hotel above cafe central at 20 a night with private bath and air conditioning and relatively sound proof given helicopters and sirens. In morning I followed route south out town on dirt roads through pine forest but that had also burned and was still smoldering and the otherwise well marked route had lost its signs. No problem though as I found the highway and rejoined the route past the fire zone. I was worried about air quality and my physical exertion but it worked out fine. I also started walking at first light and got out of the sun by noon. Lovely route.

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

That said the route went on a paved country road through an area still smoldering on both sides with occasional flames. It was sad to see the loss of the farmers olive trees. Temps were a bit hotter than the 100 on my app due to the burn heat....
...In morning I followed route south out town on dirt roads through pine forest but that had also burned and was still smoldering and the otherwise well marked route had lost its signs. No problem though as I found the highway and rejoined the route past the fire zone.

Glad that you're okay, but the 100s of firefighters working in this area really do not need random peregrinos/as walking on rural roads/paths when the fires are definitely not under control. What was shown on the Fogos.pt website as "resolved" yesterday is an active fire zone again today.

The Portuguese had over 100 people killed in 2017, the last year of really bad fires. Many of those died when trapped on roads where the fire jumped over a road, and they were trapped. A lot of regulations were stiffened up for the locals after that catastrophic year, particularly to do with clearing along secondary roads and around isolated homes and small settlements.

I would really recommend walkers try very hard not to go through the vulnerable areas, particularly over the next few days when temperatures are forecast to be over 40C.

Stay safe, and don't make things any harder for the firefighters! They do a valiant job.

Fogos.pt screenshot--2015 12/July/2022:

 

[kenwilltravel]

The Portuguese had over 100 people killed in 2017, the last year of really bad fires. Many of those died when trapped on roads where the fire jumped over a road, and they were trapped. A lot of regulations were stiffened up for the locals after that catastrophic year, particularly to do with clearing along secondary roads and around isolated homes and small settlements.

Friend from Barquinha raises a good point here, how these fires can jump roads, even four-lane highways. Last year, in the Algarve, we had a fire near Castro Marim that jumped the A-22 motorway (4 lanes with median), which a lot of people had said beforehand was unlikely. Nope, all it took was a strong wind. And after the fire moved towards the coast from there, we started to see the smoke.

 

[Michael55]

Glad that you're okay, but the 100s of firefighters working in this area really do not need random peregrinos/as walking on rural roads/paths when the fires are definitely not under control. What was shown on the Fogos.pt website as "resolved" yesterday is an active fire zone again today.

The Portuguese had over 100 people killed in 2017, the last year of really bad fires. Many of those died when trapped on roads where the fire jumped over a road, and they were trapped. A lot of regulations were stiffened up for the locals after that catastrophic year, particularly to do with clearing along secondary roads and around isolated homes and small settlements.

I would really recommend walkers try very hard not to go through the vulnerable areas, particularly over the next few days when temperatures are forecast to be over 40C.

Stay safe, and don't make things any harder for the firefighters! They do a valiant job.

Fogos.pt screenshot--2015 12/July/2022:

View attachment 129394

Agreed—absolutely. In reply to the original post, there were no warnings or barricades of roads or other measures in place for someone walking through as there would be where I’m from in California where law enforcement routinely shuts down roads for wildfires. In addition the English language news reported this particular fire as an Ourem fire, which city is 20k past. So be aware the reporting may not be so precise— this was also true with the fogo website when I looked at it. I’m probably biased by the real time sattelite imagery of active fires where I’m from. In any event, the advice of steering wide of these fires is well given. If you are caught up in one, the safest place is “in the black” where the fire has already burned.

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

Agreed—absolutely. In reply to the original post, there were no warnings or barricades of roads or other measures in place for someone walking through as there would be where I’m from in California where law enforcement routinely shuts down roads for wildfires. In addition the English language news reported this particular fire as an Ourem fire, which city is 20k past. So be aware the reporting may not be so precise— this was also true with the fogo website when I looked at it.

Thanks for the quick response!

A reminder: the average Portuguese, including GNR (police) and firefighters, is totally unaware of what's going on with peregrinos/as on their way to Santiago. It is not part of common awareness (unlike pilgrims for Fatima, who typically are locals and in big groups.) AND, the English-language news is not very useful; mainly from Algarve and aimed at expats and their interests. AND I noticed yesterday that the Fogots.pt website does not stay incredibly up-to-date.

Also, Portuguese wildfire-fighting is not like here in North America (US and Canada). Although they do have a few "flying-squad"-type firefighters that move into the hot spots, most of the firefighting is done by the volunteer firefighters that are a key part of each municipality's infrastructure, using small trucks with water tanks. That's why when you look at the Fogos.pt notes for a particular wildfire, you may see that there's, for example, 650 firefighters and 120 vehicles. (Quick edit: ALMOST NONE OF THESE FIREFIGHTERS WILL SPEAK ENGLISH. THEY ARE SMALL-TOWN GUYS FROM RURAL PORTUGAL.)

There will be crews from every town in the region. And although they're keen, and for the last few years, they've had some special training for the small, intense wildfires that tend to break out in the eucalyptus and pine forests between towns, their real expertise is in town fires--brush fires in fields, house fires, etc.

They do a lot with not many resources. And quite often they get hurt. The local Portuguese-language news has been reporting about a dozen injuries so far, in the last week or so of firefighting.

Those of us from the "big-wide-open" expanses of western North America (and, I would guess, Australia as well) have a very different experience of firefighting from that in rural Portugal!

Just keep in mind that wandering pilgrims are the last thing on their minds.....

 

[Former member 88968]

I walked to Freixandria Saturday from Ansiao on the Rota Carmelita to Fatima. I received verbal advice from a nice couple on the way that the fire was controlled along the path. I paid attention to the ash on the ground and smoky air and where the helicopters were so I felt reasonably safe.

Agreed, and reminder: the average Portuguese, including GNR (police) and firefighters, is totally unaware of what's going on with peregrinos/as on their way to Santiago. It is not part of common awareness (unlike pilgrims for Fatima, who typically are locals and in big groups.) AND, the English-language news is not very useful; mainly from Algarve and aimed at expats and their interests. AND I noticed yesterday that the Fogots.pt website does not stay incredibly (Quick edit: ALMOST NONE OF THESE FIREFIGHTERS WILL SPEAK ENGLISH. THEY ARE SMALL-TOWN GUYS FROM RURAL PORTUGAL.)

Just keep in mind that wandering pilgrims are the last thing on their minds.....

Thanks to you both for the updates. Those photos are tragic. Hopefully it will calm down a bit after this weeks heatwave.

 

[Wyvernsridge]

I walked to Freixandria Saturday from Ansiao on the Rota Carmelita to Fatima. I received verbal advice from a nice couple on the way that the fire was controlled along the path. I paid attention to the ash on the ground and smoky air and where the helicopters were so I felt reasonably safe. That said the route went on a paved country road through an area still smoldering on both sides with occasional flames. It was sad to see the loss of the farmers olive trees. Temps were a bit hotter than the 100 on my app due to the burn heat. Stayed a great hotel above cafe central at 20 a night with private bath and air conditioning and relatively sound proof given helicopters and sirens. In morning I followed route south out town on dirt roads through pine forest but that had also burned and was still smoldering and the otherwise well marked route had lost its signs. No problem though as I found the highway and rejoined the route past the fire zone. I was worried about air quality and my physical exertion but it worked out fine. I also started walking at first light and got out of the sun by noon. Lovely route.

Aussie here. THAT was really dumb. Stay away from the fire ground and the immediate area. Fires can reignite and leave you stranded. The radiant heat from the ground and smouldering plant life is not to be underestimated.
Plan your route around. Take a bus if you have to. No Compostela is worth your relatives trying to identify your charred remains.

 

[naplesdon]

Fires also steal the oxygen from the air we breathe.
BTW, I would like dispel the comment about record heat in Portugal. Around the Lisbon area we have had close to record lows many morning for the past few weeks and rarely does it get above 20 during the day, I will however add that the winds have been quite brisk and I think that is what is delivering the cooler temperatures to us from off of the cool water of the Atlantic Ocean