D005-PORTUGAL SITUACION VECINOS TRAS INCENDIOS

STORY: Some residents in Portugal said they were left to fend for themselves on Saturday (August 16) as wildfires and thick clouds of smoke threatened their homes and possessions.

Alexandrino Fernandes, a resident in Sapateira, Meda situated in the district of Guarda, said the only reason more was not destroyed was because local residents fought the flames, "not even one" firefighter arrived, he said. "I warned them but no one was sent."

A man in Trancoso was seen fighting flames with a hosepipe. In the residential area of Parish of Arganil, a district of Coimbra, burnt out vehicles were parked along roads and there was severe damage to property with small flames still blazing.

From Portugal to Spain, Albania and Greece, firefighters struggled to contain towering walls of flames threatening life and property.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: SAPATERIA, MEDA, PORTUGAL (AUGUST 16, 2025) (SIC - No use Portugal)

1. FLAMES CLOSE TO BUILDING, THICK SMOKE

2. FIRE CLOSE TO BUILDING, THICK SMOKE

3. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WETTING GROUND CLOSE TO FLAMES WITH GARDEN HOSEPIPE

4. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT, SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST, SAYING:

Resident: "It was very distressing, very distressing, there are no words. No help from anyone – just friends and the few of us who are here, nothing else."

Journalist: "So you were alone during the last hours? Not even a firefighter showed up?"

Resident: "No one, no one, no one. Not a single person came."

5. RESIDENTS OUTSIDE HOMES, SOME WEARING FACE MASKS, ONE WOMAN HOLDING BUCKET

6. FLAMES LICKING PROPERTY, THICK CLOUD OF SMOKE

7. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RESIDENTS OF SAPATEIRA, ALEXANDRINO FERNANDES, SAYING:

Fernandes: "I’m very, very sad because there’s not a single firefighter here, no one. Yesterday there was a fire in Mêda Grande – they had all kinds of resources. Today, not even one firefighter came, and they could’ve made a difference."

Journalist: "You were warning about this situation, I was just saying earlier that when we arrived..."

Fernandes: "We ploughed all this land – what didn’t burn is because of the few of us with our limited means. This can’t happen."

Journalist: "And you had been warning the authorities?"

Fernandes: "Yes, I was. I warned them, but no one was sent."

8. VARIOUS OF MAN SHOVELLING SAND TOWARDS FLAMES

TRANCOSO, PORTUGAL (AUGUST 16, 2025) (SIC - No use Portugal)

9. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) UNIDENTIFIED VISITOR, SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST, SAYING:

Visitor: "It’s emotional to see this (the area) like this."

Journalist: "Are you a tourist, here on vacation?"

Visitor: "Yes, exactly."

Journalist: "Doesn’t seem like a very good vacation."

Visitor: "No, no… and now my son keeps calling me because he’s seeing everything..."