Fires: Arouca accounts for at least 5.3 million euros in losses and 350 thousand are on the walkways
The fire that between the 17th and 19th of September consumed almost 20% of the municipality of Arouca caused at least 5.3 million euros in losses and, of these, 350,000 refer to the Passadiços do Paiva alone, revealed the municipality.
Distinguished six consecutive years within the scope of the World Travel Awards as the Best Adventure Tourism Attraction in the World, this tourist infrastructure in the district of Aveiro and the Porto Metropolitan Area reopens this Saturday to the public only in half of its length, in the section of approximately four kilometers between Vau and Espiunca, but the remaining route along the cliffs on the bank of the Paiva River will remain closed for a few months, until full repair of the approximately 2,000 meters destroyed by the fire – including the staircase with 450 steps from Praia Fluvial do Areínho.
In the municipality classified as a UNESCO Geopark, other infrastructure and tourist equipment were also destroyed, such as the signage on walking routes, which represents losses in the order of 100,000 euros.
Highlighting that the determination of the economic damage caused by the fire is not yet definitive, the Arouca City Council adds, however, that, of the 5.3 million euros, “the highest value concerns the forest sector, with an estimated loss of 2.5 million”.
This amount corresponds to around 5,200 hectares of burned land in the parishes of Alvarenga, Moldes, Covêlo de Paivó, Janarde, Canelas and Espiunca.
“Regarding houses and outbuildings, there was no damage to first homes, but there was damage to five vacant houses and two seasonal residences, as well as to haystacks and support annexes”, highlights the municipality, estimating it at 750,000 euros. the cost of restoring this building.
Regarding damage in the specific field of agriculture, the Chamber states that “visits to producers are still taking place to determine the damage”, but notes that the municipality’s technicians are already supporting owners in the process of communicating their losses to the Commission of Northern Regional Coordination and Development.
The fire that broke out on September 17th in Arouca spread from the adjacent municipality of Castro Daire, had several active fronts at the same time and, until it was considered extinguished two days later, involved the simultaneous work of more of 230 firefighters and other operational staff.
In the same week, other municipalities in the North and Center regions of the country faced major fires and mobilized hundreds of firefighters each. Nine people died and more than 170 were injured due to these fires, which also destroyed dozens of homes.
According to the European earth observation system Copernicus, between the 15th and 20th of September alone around 135,000 hectares were burned in mainland Portugal and, of these, more than 116,000 are located in the North and Center, which thus concentrates most of the burned area in national territory.
The same source indicates that in 2024 almost 147,000 hectares of Portuguese soil had already been consumed by fires, which, in the last decade, constitutes the third largest portion of land burned in a single year.
