Belgian Firefighters Deploy to Portugal as Wildfires Rage
A contingent of five volunteer Belgian firefighters departed from Brussels Airport on Saturday morning, heading to northern Portugal to join the fight against devastating wildfires that have already burned more than 11,000 hectares and injured at least nine people. The deployment marks the beginning of a summer-long commitment that will see approximately 70 Belgian firefighters rotate through Portuguese fire zones until mid-September.
A Summer of Solidarity
The team, organized by the Emergency Response Alliance Belgium (ERA-BE), is headed to the Paredes de Coura region near the Spanish border. Michael De Nijs, chairman of ERA-BE and a firefighter himself, confirmed that the first team of five — four men and one woman — will be relieved next Saturday, with weekly rotations continuing throughout the summer, as VRT NWS reported. HLN reported that approximately 70 Belgian firefighters will serve in Portugal this summer.
“We offer support on-site almost all summer long,” De Nijs said. “The team that left today will be relieved next Saturday, and so it continues until mid-September.”
From mid-August, additional teams of three will deploy to central Portugal, specifically Penela, where they will remain through the end of September. ERA-BE also maintains two standby teams that can be dispatched to France or Spain if requested.
Portugal’s Wildfire Crisis
The deployment comes as Portugal grapples with one of its most severe wildfire outbreaks of the season. A major fire in Vouzela, in the Viseu district, broke out on the night of July 1-2 and has since consumed over 11,000 hectares. More than 1,100 firefighters are on the ground battling multiple active fronts, according to Euronews.
At least nine people have been injured, including three firefighters. Two victims remain in critical condition — one with severe burns and another with head trauma sustained after falling from a water truck. The fire has spread to three additional municipalities — Oliveira de Frades, Águeda, and Tondela — where two villages were partially evacuated. The Vouga railway line between Mourisca do Vouga and Águeda has been closed due to the fire.
EU and International Response
The severity of the situation prompted Portugal to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism on July 3, requesting four Canadair water-bombing planes and a team from the Spanish Military Emergencies Unit. Portugal also activated bilateral civil protection agreements with Spain and Morocco, with Spain immediately making a Canadair aircraft available.
Portuguese Interior Minister Luís Neves has raised the possibility of arson in the Vouzela fire, noting that nighttime ignitions at 2-3 AM suggest criminal involvement. “Night-time conditions are not conducive to ignitions, and yet there were two ignitions at around two or three in the morning,” Neves told journalists. “Everything suggests that there was human involvement, in other words, a criminal act.”
Extreme Heat Conditions
The wildfires are being fueled by an intense heatwave gripping the Iberian Peninsula, with temperatures reaching up to 44°C in parts of Portugal. The Portuguese government declared a state of alert from July 3 through July 6, banning access to forests, fireworks, and vegetation burning. Thirteen districts are under red warning, the most severe level, while five remain on orange alert.
On the Front Lines
De Nijs, who has been fighting wildfires in Portugal since 2017, described the unique dangers volunteers face. “We descended a mountain at night, without air support. On such a mountain you can sometimes only carry water in a 20-liter backpack,” he recalled. “Suddenly the wind turned and the fire flared up again.”
Despite the risks, De Nijs emphasized the importance of the mission. “I certainly feel some stress when I’m there, healthy stress. If you didn’t have that, it would become dangerous. But it’s not fear, absolutely not.”
Broader European Context
The Belgian deployment is part of a wider European wildfire crisis. Simultaneous fires are burning across Portugal, Spain, and France. In Spain, a major fire at Costa Brava has burned over 2,300 hectares, forcing 12 municipalities into lockdown and affecting approximately 45,000 residents and tourists. In France, a fire in the Aude department has burned 900 hectares.
The EU has mobilized a record number of firefighters, aircraft, and emergency experts under the Civil Protection Mechanism for summer 2026. ERA-BE’s volunteer model highlights how civil society organizations are complementing official emergency response mechanisms in an era of increasingly severe wildfire seasons linked to climate change.
What to Watch For
With the state of alert in Portugal extended through July 6 and temperatures expected to remain high, the risk of additional fires breaking out remains acute. The suspected arson investigation in Vouzela will be closely watched, as will the effectiveness of the EU’s coordinated response. The Belgian firefighters’ rotation system will continue through mid-September, with the first team already on the ground and ready to support their Portuguese colleagues in what promises to be a long and challenging summer.