Sernancelhe, Portugal, Aug. 28, 2025 (Lusa) - The mayor of Sernancelhe told the Lusa news agency on Thursday that the damage caused by the fires amounts to "many millions" of euros, excluding the environmental, flora, and fauna damage.
Carlos Santos said that the damage accounted for is “still preliminary”, but the most recent update indicates that “75% of the municipality” of Sernancelhe has been burnt, “more than 17,000 hectares” of cork oak groves, pine forests and fruit trees, such as olive groves and orchards, as well as vineyards.
Also in the agricultural sector, "more than 300 beehives were burnt, as well as dead animals such as sheep, goats and some missing dogs".
In the business sector, "a whole poultry farm, a carpenter's shop, a slaughterhouse, a car dealership and part of a window frames and aluminium company all burned down".
Regarding the total value of the damage, Carlos Santos recognised that "it's difficult" to calculate, not least because "25 agricultural warehouses burned down" and areas of cultivation that don't have their value accounted for in the same way as businesses.
"Apart from the issue of the trees, and not to mention the total ecological loss, or what we will have in our municipality for many, many years to come, in terms of the ecological part and nature, even in terms of the species, fauna and flora that we have," he said.
As for what can be accounted for, he said that "it's difficult to put a figure on it, but it's certainly many, many, many millions" of euros.
"I can't tell you," he admitted.
Carlos Santos also pointed out that there are other environmental concerns necessary to preserve the reservoir of the Vilar Dam, which supplies three municipalities: Sernancelhe, Moimenta da Beira and Tabuaço, all in the district of Viseu.
"There is water contamination that we are now working on," he said and, after a meeting on Wednesday with the authorities responsible, they will "start today to create retention basins and filters so that the ash from the respective slopes and water lines doesn't contaminate" the Vilar Dam reservoir.
The fire that reached Sernancelhe originated from two separate fires - one that broke out on the 13th in Sátão (Viseu district) and the other on the 9th in Trancoso (Guarda district), which merged on the 15th, affecting a total of 11 municipalities in the two districts.
Sátão, Sernancelhe, Moimenta da Beira, Penedono and São João da Pesqueira (Viseu district); and Aguiar da Beira, Trancoso, Fornos de Algodres, Mêda, Celorico da Beira and Vila Nova de Foz Côa (Guarda district) were the municipalities affected.
The fire was put out at 22:00 on the 17th.
Mainland Portugal was affected by multiple large rural fires in July and August, mainly in the North and Centre regions.
The fires caused four deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, some serious, and totally or partially destroyed first and second homes, as well as agricultural and livestock holdings and forest areas.
According to provisional official figures, by 23 August, around 250,000 hectares had burned in the country, more than 57,000 of which in the fire that started in Arganil alone.
IYN/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
