Portugal's Vouzela forest fire response and Águeda festival revival

More than 1,300 emergency personnel were deployed early Sunday to combat two major rural fires in Portugal, with the blaze in Vouzela burning around 13,000 hectares and described as the country's most complex fire. The operation involved 1,244 responders and 418 ground units, supplemented by European assistance after Prime Minister Luís Montenegro activated EU mechanisms and bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco. Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves warned that the state of alert would be maintained due to ongoing heat.

In the nearby municipality of Águeda, the city council thanked volunteers, firefighters, civil protection and security forces for protecting lives, noting one person suffered serious burns. With the critical phase over, Águeda announced the return of the AgitÁgueda festival, which had been cancelled as a precaution, inviting residents and visitors to attend the events running through 26 July.