Gaia. Fire that hit scrap metal factory in the aftermath phase

The fire that broke out in a scrap metal factory in Vila Nova de Gaia is now in the aftermath phase, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told Lusa.

A spokeswoman for ANEPC's Porto Metropolitan Area Sub-regional Command said that the resources on site are "finishing the finalization work", which began around 1:00 am.

According to the ANEPC website, at 5:45 am there were 109 operators and 41 vehicles on site.

The fire alert was given at 2:54 pm on Thursday and the company in question is Sucateira Constantino Fernandes Oliveira & Filhos, SA, in Pedroso, Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto district.

Residents on the outskirts of the scrap metal factory were advised to close their windows due to the heavy smoke being released, José Viana, second in command of the Vila Nova de Gaia Fire Brigade, told Lusa.

“We don’t have any sensitive or critical points, we’ve already managed to delimit the entire perimeter with the [company’s] machines, so that the fire doesn’t spread anywhere else,” he explained.

In a report at 10:20 pm, when the fire had already been declared under control , the commander stressed that work was being hampered due to “the type of fuel and the size of the fire area”.

A company employee suffered minor injuries, while a firefighter was treated but did not require hospital treatment, José Viana added.

The spokesperson for the ANEPC Sub-regional Command of the Porto Metropolitan Area confirmed to Lusa that no further injuries were recorded.