Fire forces evacuation of three-storey block in Rio Tinto, Portugal
Twenty-seven firefighters tackled a blaze on one floor of a building in Rio Tinto on Saturday evening, forcing residents out overnight.
A fire on one floor of a three-storey residential building in Rio Tinto, in Portugal's Gondomar municipality, forced the evacuation of the entire block on Saturday evening, local fire commanders said. The building, at number 114 on Rua da Cavada Nova, was cleared as crews worked to bring the blaze under control.
The alarm was raised at 16:58 local time, according to Marco Martins, commander of the Areosa-Rio Tinto volunteer fire brigade, known as BVART. Residents described hearing sounds like explosions as the fire took hold inside the building, Notícias ao Minuto reported.
Twenty-seven firefighters and 12 vehicles were sent to the scene, a spokesperson for the Porto metropolitan area's Sub-Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command said. The command, which coordinates the response of fire services across the wider Porto region, mobilised crews to the three-storey block as the operation got under way.
Residents of the building spent the night outside their homes after being evacuated, with firefighting operations still under way around 18:00, Martins said. He said it was too early to say whether any of them would be left permanently without a home, as crews continued working at the scene.
No fatalities have been reported from the fire, and no cause has yet been given for how it started. Gondomar, where Rio Tinto is located, sits in Portugal's Porto district, in the north of the country.
What we know
- 1 outlet · Jornal de Notícias A fire broke out on one floor of a three-storey building at Rua da Cavada Nova 114 in Rio Tinto, Gondomar, on Saturday.
- 1 outlet · Correio da Manhã The alarm was raised at 16:58 local time; 27 firefighters and 12 vehicles responded.
- 2+ outlets · Jornal de Notícias, Correio da Manhã +1 The building was evacuated; some residents spent the night outside their homes.
- 2+ outlets · Jornal de Notícias, Correio da Manhã +1 No fatalities have been reported.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed Whether any residents will be permanently displaced.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
A fire confined to a single floor can still force the evacuation of an entire block, as happened in Rio Tinto, where residents of a three-storey building spent the night away from their homes while firefighters worked to make sure it was safe to return. The response drew on both the local Areosa-Rio Tinto volunteer brigade and the Porto metropolitan area's regional emergency command, reflecting how fire services in the region call on wider resources to handle building fires in its dense residential neighbourhoods.
The uncertainty over whether residents will be able to return home, which Martins said was too early to assess while the operation continued, is a common concern after building fires in older residential blocks, where structural checks can take longer than extinguishing the flames themselves.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 1 countries.
- Jornal de Notícias: Incêndio num andar obriga a evacuação de prédio em Rio Tinto
- Correio da Manhã: Incndio obriga a evacuar prdio em Rio Tinto
- Notícias ao Minuto: Incêndio num andar obriga a evacuação de prédio em Rio Tinto
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Where did the fire happen?
- At a three-storey building on Rua da Cavada Nova in Rio Tinto, part of Gondomar municipality in Portugal's Porto district.
- Were there any injuries?
- No fatalities have been reported, and sources have not confirmed any injuries.
- How many firefighters responded?
- Twenty-seven firefighters and 12 vehicles were sent to the scene, according to the Porto metropolitan emergency command.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.