Forest Fires in Portugal

Forest fires in Portugal are unfortunately an annual occurrence. The Portuguese government is constantly investing in fire prevention with watch towers and more fire hydrants in rural areas, however with soaring temperatures during the summer months fires are inevitable.

The Portuguese government has been effective in identifying the causes of fires and unbelievably one of the main factors to the majority of forest fires is down to people - discarded cigarettes, unlawful burning and sometimes even arson. Though there are extremely stiff penalties for those convicted of arson in Portugal.

To help reduce the risk of fires spreading landowners are, by law, required to keep their land free of debris. This includes private home owners. The burning of garden material and/or rubbish is forbidden from the end of March through until the first heavy rains in the autumn.

In more remote, rural areas many Portuguese build water storage tanks on their land, which is not only useful for watering the land in the dry summer months, but can be very be useful should there be a fire.

The Portuguese government urges vigilance and the telephone number to ring should you spot a fire is 112.

            GekkoPortugal Home Page    Property for sale in Central Portugal   Portugal  Central Portugal   Living in Portugal   How to Buy a Property in Portugal    Sitemap