The most recent victims are three firefighters from the Vila Nova de Oliveirinha fire brigade, in Tábua, who died while traveling to a fire in that municipality in the district of Coimbra.

The first death recorded in the fires of the last few days was a firefighter who fell ill suddenly while fighting the flames in Oliveira de Azeméis, district of Aveiro, on Sunday.

On Monday, the authorities announced two more deaths in the district of Aveiro, one of a person found burnt and one death from a heart attack.

Meanwhile, an elderly woman whose house was in a fire zone in Almeidinha, Mangualde, died during the night from a sudden illness, according to a source from the Viseu Dão Lafões Sub-Regional Command.

Among the victims, two were seriously injured.

The districts most affected by the fires, at 1:30 pm, continued to be Aveiro, where the flames continue to rage intensely in the municipalities of Oliveira de Azeméis, Albergaria-a-Velha, Sever do Vouga and Águeda; Coimbra, with a special incidence in the municipality of Tábua; and Viseu, with larger outbreaks in Nelas and Castro Daire.

The national command of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority was given the coordination of the four major fires in the district of Aveiro, which this morning had a total perimeter of approximately 100 kilometres.

In the district of Porto, a fire that broke out on Monday in the municipality of Gondomar mobilised 227 firefighters and 53 vehicles. There were also concerns about the incidents in the municipalities of Baião, Paredes and Santo Tirso.

Due to this situation, the Porto District Civil Protection Emergency Plan was activated today, joining that of Aveiro, and 10 municipal plans are active, as announced in the 1:00 pm briefing by the national Emergency and Civil Protection commander, André Fernandes.

The official also signalled the closure of traffic routes, highlighting the Motorways 1 (A1) in Aveiro Sul and Estarreja, the A13 in Coimbra, the Complementary Itinerary 2 (IC2) with the A25 junction, the A24 in Castro Daire and Vila Pouca de Aguiar, and the A43 and A41 junction in Gondomar.

On the other hand, train services on the Vouga line were resumed today between Espinho–Vouga and Paços de Brandão, after being suspended due to the fires, which continue to prevent traffic between Marco de Canaveses and Régua, on the Douro Line.

The number of homes and other structures affected was not updated today at a national level, but on Monday night there were more than 20 homes affected, in addition to other structures, and today several municipalities reported new properties destroyed.

By 1:30 pm, 3,339 operatives, 1,040 vehicles and 24 aircraft were involved in the 24 most significant incidents.

Civil Protection recorded 105 incidents between 00:00 and 12:30 today, the majority during the night period (57), in addition to the 277 incidents on Monday.

Meanwhile, the authorities have already arrested three people, a man and two women, suspected of starting fires in the municipalities of Pombal and Alvaiázere, in the district of Leiria, and in Condeixa-a-Nova, in the district of Coimbra, since last week.

The Government extended the alert status due to the risk of fires until Thursday, in light of the weather forecasts, and announced the creation of a multidisciplinary team to deal with the consequences of the fires of the last few days, coordinated by the Deputy Minister and Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, who held his first meeting in Aveiro today.

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