Forest Fire (25620 ha) in Portugal 15 Sep 2024

Event summary

Forest fire can have a medium humanitarian impact based on the burned area and the affected population and their vulnerability.

GDACS ID WF 1022227
Glide number: WF-2024-000170-PRT
Countries: Portugal
Start Date - Last detection*: 15 Sep 2024 - 19 Sep 2024
Duration (days): 4
People affected: 15800 in the burned area
Burned area: 25620 ha
More Info: Global Wildfire Information System

*(Last detection of the thermal anomaly of the fire)

GDACS Score

For more info on GDACS alert score click here.
Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
Analytical products
Portugal - Wildfires, update (ECHO 23 Sep 2024)Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:04

  • The wildfires affecting 25 municipalities (of which 15 are in the northern areas) across central and northern Portugal are still ongoing. The Lusa News Agency reports that over 5,500 operatives supported by 1,800 land resources are still battling 140 fires.
  • According to media, as of 18 September, seven people have died, dozens have been injured and 62 people have been displaced due to the ongoing events. 
  • Following Portugal’s request for assistance, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), France, Greece, Italy and Spain, offered 10 firefighting planes to help containing the fire. On 17 September, one Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) Liaison Officer was deployed to Lisbon to assist in the coordination efforts. 
  • The Copernicus Emergency Management Service () was activated in rapid mapping mode to provide damage assessment and one map has been produced so far.
  • On 18 September, according to the JRC EFFIS, the fire danger forecast is from high to extreme, while on 18 September from moderate to very high in the affected regions and in southern Portugal.
Forest fire in Portugal - Copernicus EMS activationWed, 18 Sep 2024 19:45

[EMSR760] Wildfire in Portugal
Forest fire in Portugal - Copernicus EMS activationTue, 17 Sep 2024 19:45

[EMSR760] Wildfire in Portugal
Forest fire in Portugal - Copernicus EMS activationThu, 19 Sep 2024 21:40

[EMSR760] Wildfire in Portugal
Forest fire in Portugal - Copernicus EMS activationMon, 23 Sep 2024 20:30

[EMSR760] Wildfire in Portugal
Forest fire in Portugal - Copernicus EMS activationMon, 30 Sep 2024 16:10

[EMSR760] Wildfire in Portugal
Detailed event map. European Union, 2025. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

Latest media headlines

Portuguese government declares national day of Mourning over massive f.. 9/22/2024 5:08:00 PM.

) The Portuguese government has declared a National Day of Mourning in response to devastating forest fires that have claimed the lives of seven individuals and injured 166 others since September 14. This tragic announcement, reported by lo
...(more)
British holidaymakers sent fresh Portugal travel warning over fatal on.. 9/22/2024 5:07:00 PM.

to Brits in or heading to Portugal due to an ongoing "risk" of forest fires. More than 100 wildfires have tested thousands of firefighters to the limit in the country, with seven deaths after the worst spate of fires in recent years raged o
...(more)
Forest fires in Portugal devour about 135 thousand hectares in week 9/22/2024 3:08:00 PM.

[Sun, 22 Sep 2024 17:59:03 +0300] LISBON - (Saba): Forest fires in Portugal have devoured about 135 thousand hectares in just one week, bringing the burned area in Portugal this year to nearly 147 thousand hectares, the third largest area i
...(more)
Dozens in China disciplined over deadly January fire; Portugal brings .. 9/22/2024 8:33:00 AM.

Chinese authorities have disciplined more than 50 officials and arrested 10 people suspected of criminal liability in a deadly fire that killed dozens in January, state media reported Saturday. The fire in the city of Xinyu in central China
...(more)

Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: (2), EC-JRC (28), WMO (1), INFORM (2), JRC (1),