According to information available on the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), the fire in a bushland area in Vila Real, which started on Saturday at 11:45 PM and is still active, was the one mobilizing the largest number of firefighting resources, with 425 firefighters, 143 ground vehicles, and six air vehicles.

Also noteworthy is the fire in Celorico de Basto, in the district of Braga, which broke out on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. and is still ongoing, being fought by 289 firefighters, supported by 98 vehicles and two aircraft, according to ANEPC.

The fires in Vila Real and Celorico de Basto were, as of 3 p.m. today, considered significant, according to Civil Protection. Two other rural fires are also burning, one in a wooded area in Arcos de Valdevez, in the district of Viana do Castelo, which broke out on Sunday at 8:13 p.m. and is still active, being fought by 53 firefighters, with 18 vehicles and one aircraft.

The other significant fire is the one in Ponte da Barca, in the Viana do Castelo district, which started over a week ago – on July 26th at 9:47 PM – and has been under control since Sunday. However, it continues to mobilize hundreds of Civil Protection agents, including 364 firefighters and 122 ground vehicles, according to information provided by ANEPC.

For Civil Protection, significant fires are those that, cumulatively, meet the criteria of: "ongoing" (evolving without area limitation) or "conclusive" (no danger of spreading), lasting more than three hours, and involving more than 15 protection and rescue resources.

In total, as of 3pm today, ANEPC recorded 48 rural fires, which were being fought by 1,901 firefighters, supported by 600 vehicles and 15 aerial vehicles.

Mainland Portugal has been on alert since Sunday and until Thursday due to a high fire risk, the Minister of Internal Administration announced on Saturday.

The five northernmost districts of mainland Portugal, namely Bragança, Porto, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, and Braga, are now under a red alert, the highest on a scale of three, due to persistently high maximum temperatures, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

The red alert will last until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, when it will be replaced by an orange alert (in the case of Vila Real and Bragança), and a yellow alert in the other cases.

The remaining districts of mainland Portugal are already under an orange alert until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, with the exception of Beja, which will be under a yellow alert, and Faro, which is once again the only district on the mainland without any warning.