Embassy of the United States of America
Lisbon, Portugal
Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Wildfires in Central Portugal
June 18, 2017
The U.S. Embassy in Lisbon cautions U.S. citizens of an ongoing, large wildfire in central Portugal that has already impacted the town of Pedrógão Grande in the Leiria district, 156 kilometers northeast of Lisbon. The Portuguese National Republican Guard (GNR) closed the following roads in response to the fire: Centro IC8, Centro N2, and the Centro A13. The GNR stated that the fire is still 70 to 80 kilometers from the city of Leiria and Leiria residents are advised to remain in their homes at this time. According to local news reports, the fire started during the afternoon on June 17, 2017 and has caused at least 58 fatalities. More than 600 firefighters continue to combat the fire.
Road closure updates can be found at: https://www.estradas.pt/Informacoes/Boletim-de-Transito?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
For additional information, review http://sic.sapo.pt/ and http://www.rtp.pt/.
All U.S. citizens living in or traveling to the area should monitor local news reports, follow directions from local officials, and take other appropriate actions as needed.
For further information about security in Portugal:
· See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Portugal’s Country Specific Information.
· Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
· Contact the U.S. Embassy in Portugal, located at Avenida das Forças Armadas, in the neighborhood of Sete Rios near the Jardim Zoológico, at + (351) 217 702-122, 08:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +(351) 21-727-3300.
· Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
