In the Vila Real area, 18 city fires have been reported since October 1, leaving four people dead, two injured and two left homeless, the District Operations Commander (CODIS) Miguel Fonseca said on Friday.
The most serious case occurred this Friday in Sabros, where three people – a married couple of 74 and 80 years old and a 56-year-old daughter – died in a fire in the house where they lived. Two young people aged 16 and 20 were able to leave the house unharmed.
Sabrosa fire chief José Barros said “any heating system” was suspected of causing the fire and that Vila Real’s Judicial Police (PJ) would be investigating the fire.
On November 11, a 90-year-old woman also died in a house fire in the village of San Cibran in the municipality of Vila Real.
Upon arrival, Cruz Verde firefighters found the house engulfed in flames and the victim charred.
In this case, another woman, aged 50, was slightly injured while trying to help the elderly woman.
On November 23, flames destroyed the first floor of a house in the village of Uteiro, in the municipality of Montalegri. The couple managed to get out of the room without injury.
According to CODIS Miguel Fonseca, most of the 18 incidents reported in the area involve chimneys, fireplaces and braziers.
“We care little when we talk about fuel-burning devices, especially those that are weakly protected, as is the case with fireplaces and braziers,” he said.
The commander warned of an aspect that is usually “minimized” and that concerns the lack of maintenance of the chimneys, that is, the lack of periodic cleaning and the accumulation of materials that can subsequently cause accidents.
Miguel Fonseca recalled some safety tips to avoid situations like this, such as making sure that fireplaces and braziers are turned off at night and unattended, avoiding contact with fabrics, carpets, fibers and turning off other heating equipment.
“Be very careful with the electrical connections for your Christmas lights this Christmas season. Also be careful when there are animals in the house,” he warned.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.