Lisbon, 15 July 2024 – Last week, the Avincis firefighting crew in Portugal was activated for its first mission of the season. At 16h30 on Monday 8 July, two Canadair aircraft were deployed to support Civil Protection in their fight against a fire close to Baião in Northern Portugal.

After a 40-minute flight from their base in Castelo del Branco, the crew flew the aircrafts to a suitable location on the Douro river to scoop up water for their first drop a few miles away. They then joined seven other aircraft already in the area to help bring the fire under control.

Luis Santos, Avincis Canadair Pilot, said: “We were well prepared for the start of the firefighting season and on standby for our first call of the year. It is our pleasure to work with Civil Protection to help prevent Portuguese towns and villages from the impact of fires this summer. Our Canadair Aircraft are designed specifically to tackle fires like the one we saw in Baião earlier this week, and we are here to provide an extra level of support to firefighters on the ground.”

In total, the crew made 13 trips to the river, collecting around 6,000 litres of water each time, to drop at strategic points on the fire, which covered approximately 72 hectares.

The fire was finally extinguished at around 21h30. There were no casualties and no loss of local property.