# Portugal Wildfires



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Many here will know that we've been working for many months on a website to help people keep their lives & homes as safe as possible from events such as the dreadful wildfires that struck Portugal last year.

The site is launched today which is 10 months to the day of the Pedrogao Grande firestorm & you can find it at Portugal Wildfires - Protect Your Home & is considerably more detailed than I'd first envisioned & the reason for that is my better half (Susan) took one look at my idea, kicked it into touch & did it in her own inimitable & hugely efficient style.

You can dip in & out of it as you wish so if you just want the facts & procedures of getting trees cut & firebands maintained you can do that but if you want FULL details of the technicalities you can do that as well.

The site is undeniably complicated & technical but so are wildfires, the reasons behind them & the ways to protect against them so you have to accept that.

ALL thanks and appreciation should go to Susan & not to me. I just came up with an idea & she took my pigs ear & turned it into a fine silk purse.

So go check out portugalwildfires.com.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

please do feel free to plaster the address all over the internet & share it as often as possible because one day, it might just save lives & homes!


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

Congratulations to you and Susan for a very well researched and informative piece. If it saves just one life, your hard work will be worth the time and effort you have invested in the project.

I have made my way through the whole site now and found the 'Timeline' particularly interesting and educational. While I had an awareness of slope winds and cloud types, this is the first I have heard about pyroconvection and its associated affects, particularly the formation of pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus clouds. The collapse of the 'convection column' between 20.00 and 21.00 must have been particularly frightening for those closest.

In your very informative section, 'How to get Land Cleaned in Portugal', you mention the out of date images on Google Earth; Images that could be very useful as evidence for people submitting their reports or requests for land clearance. For anybody interested, there is now a way to obtain bang up to date, high quality images by using drone technology. There are many drone owners around the country who I am sure would be only too happy to help out by flying a mission over affected properties. A good place to search for a drone pilot might be on the forum dedicated to drone flyers in Portugal:

Drone pilot forum


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

JohnBoy said:


> Congratulations to you and Susan for a very well researched and informative piece. If it saves just one life, your hard work will be worth the time and effort you have invested in the project.
> 
> I have made my way through the whole site now and found the 'Timeline' particularly interesting and educational. While I had an awareness of slope winds and cloud types, this is the first I have heard about pyroconvection and its associated affects, particularly the formation of pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus clouds. The collapse of the 'convection column' between 20.00 and 21.00 must have been particularly frightening for those closest.
> 
> ...


I suspect the fire dump was right behind our house........ 

I hadn't thought of a drone pilot for some reason (DOH!) but it's a very good idea & will talk to the boss about it............. Thanks!


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## Irene in Simantorta (Jul 29, 2018)

Thank you so much! This is excellent information. I'll need to cut a lot of trees according to the info on your website (eucalyptus and pine) to clean up the land (the land has been untouched for many years). Any suggestion what to do with all the wood?


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Irene in Simantorta said:


> Thank you so much! This is excellent information. I'll need to cut a lot of trees according to the info on your website (eucalyptus and pine) to clean up the land (the land has been untouched for many years). Any suggestion what to do with all the wood?


If the wood is undamaged by fire you might (dependent on number of trees) be able to find a local company willing to cut the trees, take them away & pay you but if they have been fire damaged they probably won't be interested. 

Another alternative is to cut it, let it season & burn it if you have log fired heating but in either case, you need to clear the debris as well because if left, it can be as dangerous as the standing trees were.


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## Irene in Simantorta (Jul 29, 2018)

Thanks TM. Wood is burned, and most trees are too thin to sell anyway I think. Good to know now for sure. Yes, will have a lot to burn in the cold season! I read on your website that it is not allowed to use a chainsaw in the critical fire period. How strict do they enforce that? I have planned to cut a handful of trees end of September. It's remote area and next to a river so I don't expect it to be a risk really at that time. Don't know about the Portuguese law system yet (in Austria they will get on your back for anything).


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Irene in Simantorta said:


> Thanks TM. Wood is burned, and most trees are too thin to sell anyway I think. Good to know now for sure. Yes, will have a lot to burn in the cold season! I read on your website that it is not allowed to use a chainsaw in the critical fire period. How strict do they enforce that? I have planned to cut a handful of trees end of September. It's remote area and next to a river so I don't expect it to be a risk really at that time. Don't know about the Portuguese law system yet (in Austria they will get on your back for anything).


The best thing you can do is ask at your local Bombeiros station & follow their advice.


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## snowyowl (Jul 26, 2017)

Congratulations TM and Susan for building an excellent resource. A website that is full of invaluable information that is accessible and easy to navigate. No mean feat.

A resource that is definitely making me view where we set up home in Portugal through fresh eyes so to speak. Thank you.


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