Torre de Moncorvo, Portugal, Aug. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - The fire that broke out on Saturday in Torre de Moncorvo and spread to Carrazeda de Ansiães on Sunday prompted concern and vigilance amongst the affected communities, and local residents told Lusa that crops suffered significant losses.

Anyone travelling along the roads linking Cabeça Boa to Lousa, in the municipality of Torre de Moncorvo, and then continuing on to the municipality of Carrazeda de Ansiães via Vilarinho da Castanheira, in the district of Bragança, will quickly notice a black blanket covering hundreds of hectares of forest, scrubland, cork oak forests and farmland.

Over the last few days, the fire has left residents on edge, as they have seen their villages under threat.

António Almeida, a resident of Lousa, said that «there have been moments of terror over the last few days» in the village, because «the fire was always at our backs and close to the settlements».

«The fire was always right behind us, but today it has moved away towards the River Douro, [because] there is nothing left to burn in this immediate area. I took timely action on my land and suffered only minor losses, while some people have lost cork oaks, almond trees, vineyards or honey,» the resident emphasised.

António Almeida also explained that he practises preventive farming because there are fires to contend with every year, recalling what happened in 2017; however, he said that year's fire «was not on the same scale as the one that started on Saturday».

«Nothing had happened for half a dozen years, but this year the fire came on strong and with great force, leaving several villages in its wake before reaching here. Our whole region is in mourning; it's nothing but ashes,» he emphasised.

According to an initial estimate, the authorities on the ground indicate that more than two thousand hectares of land have already been burnt, a figure that may rise as the fire, which is still active, was mobilising 453 firefighters at 4:30 p.m., supported by 144 vehicles and six aircraft.

Another resident of Lousa, who preferred simply to be known as Manuel, kept saying that these last three days had been lived «with great anguish» and that there were many flames that looked like «hell».

«Now, those who can must start afresh, and those who cannot will have to leave it all behind. I have vineyards, almond groves and olive groves. There's been a great deal of damage, just as with the cork oak forests; the cork oaks will wither. But the land remains, and there will be new crops,» he said.

Meanwhile, in Vilarinho da Castanheira, in the municipality of Carrazeda de Ansiães, this morning, outside one of the village cafés, the trail left by the fire was the topic of conversation, with sadness and anxiety clearly evident amongst four residents chatting amongst themselves.

«There was a lot of smoke and stress, on top of the agricultural losses which have not yet been fully assessed, because there are areas that are still inaccessible. Some animals also died in the fire due to the smoke, mainly goats and sheep. The beehives were also badly affected,» said Luís Vicente.

Standing nearby, Alberto Febre reported that he was still awaiting the full assessment of his losses, but given the way the fire was spreading towards his properties, he stated that «they are significant».

«I have olive trees, and the surrounding land has been ploughed, but with the intense heat from the flames, I believe they have been burnt,» he said.

For his part, the mayor of Torre de Moncorvo, José Meneses, told Lusa that experts are still awaiting the right conditions to make a realistic estimate of the damage caused to crops by the fire, but that municipal experts will go out into the field to carry out this assessment as soon as possible.

«We are aware that a very large area of scrubland has been burnt, but, in addition to the scrubland, we have agricultural land comprising around 400 hectares of arable land and areas of cork oak. Many landowners in this area have seen their income sources disappear overnight,» he said.

The mayor added that «as soon as possible, he will send a report on the damage caused by the fire to the relevant authorities, to request aid for cork producers and farmers in his municipality».

FYP/ADB // ADB.

Lusa