In statements to the Lusa news agency, the Sub-Regional Commander of Emergency and Civil Protection of Central Alentejo, Fábio Pontes, indicated that, around 9:15 am on 16 September, the fire had "a front that is yielding to the resources".

"We have resources positioned throughout the perimeter of the fire, namely ground resources, including bulldozers, and aerial resources in support," he stressed, pointing out that the objective "is to have the fire under control in the next few hours".

According to the officer, the main difficulties in fighting the flames have been the strong wind felt in the area and the terrain's orography.

"There are areas with steep slopes where it is only possible to work on foot. It is not possible to do work with vehicles or bulldozers," he said. The Sub-regional Commander of Emergency and Civil Protection for Central Alentejo said that, because of the wind, "the fire grew considerably right from the start" on the afternoon of 15 September, and stressed that, so far, "there are and have been no houses threatened."

According to Fábio Pontes, two firefighters suffered minor injuries during the operations: one from a fall and the other from exhaustion.

At 9:15 am, the firefighting effort mobilised 364 personnel, supported by 135 vehicles and three aircraft, two for firefighting and one for monitoring.

The fire, for which the alert was given at 3:31 pm on 15 September, started in the Monte da Lameira area, between Portel and the parish of Monte do Trigo, in this Alentejo municipality.

The IP2 highway between Monte do Trigo and Portel remains closed to traffic, according to the Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command of Central Alentejo.