Maximum fire danger in more than 60 municipalities in Portugal: Risk could extend into next week

Rising temperatures in Portugal have brought the rural fire danger to a critical level. According to IPMA's September 21 data, more than 60 municipalities in 10 regions are at "maximum" fire danger, the highest level of the five-tier system.

Moreover, the risk is not limited to today. IPMA says very high fire danger could continue in some areas until the end of next week.

Which regions are at the maximum level?

Municipalities at maximum fire risk are located in the following regions:

bragança

viseu

Guarda

Aveiro

coimbra

Leiria

Santarem

Castelo Branco

portalegre

Faro

Apart from this, almost all regions on the Portuguese mainland have municipalities at very high or high danger levels.

This does not mean that all of these areas are at maximum risk; The classification is made on a municipal basis.

How is the maximum risk calculated?

IPMA's rural fire danger system consists of five levels:

Low → Medium → High → Very high → Maximum

Meteorological variables such as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and the amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours are used in the calculation.

Therefore, high temperature alone does not determine the maximum level.

Hot weather makes the painting heavier

While temperatures are expected to be above 30 degrees in a significant part of the country on September 21, the maximum temperature in Coimbra is approximately 37 degrees. It is estimated that it can reach .

At the same time, 16 regions are included in the scope of yellow meteorological warning due to high temperatures.

Continuation of hot and dry conditions prevents the fire danger from decreasing rapidly.

Positive news came from Arganil and Castro Daire

The situation has improved for two of the last active fires, although the risk remains high.

The fire, which started in Arganil and spread to three municipalities, was taken under control.

The fire, which started in Castro Flat on Sunday evening, was brought under control as of Monday morning.

However, due to current meteorological conditions, these developments do not mean that the risk of fire across the country has ended.

Check your own municipality's risk

Fire danger is not a single national or regional value.

The current risk level can be checked by selecting the municipality and date from IPMA's official map.

In particular, those planning work in rural areas, agricultural activities or nature trips should check the level and associated restrictions applicable to their municipality.

Resources

IPMA — Perigo de Incêndio Rural

https://www.ipma.pt/pt/riscoincendio/rcm.pt/pir-by-date.jsp

RTP / Lusa — 21 September 2026

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/incendios-mais-de-60-concelhos-de-10-distritos-em-perigo-maximo_n1766729