Pedrógão Grande, a Portuguese municipality located approximately 55 kilometers from Coimbra, inaugurated the Memorial in Homage to the Victims of the 2017 Forest Fires last week. This tragic event resulted in the loss of 66 lives and left 253 injured. The monument was designed by architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, winner of the 2011 Pritzker Prize.
The work, initiated by Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) two years ago, cost approximately 1.8 million Euros. According to IP, the monument features a framing lake spanning about 2,500 square meters in area. The lake is supplied by a 60-meter-long gargoyle and bordered by a strip of plants, including white water lilies, lilies, and ranunculus. Additionally, the project incorporates a wall with the name of each victim inscribed on it, according to IP.
Eduardo Souto Moura had a personal connection to the tragedy as one of the employees from his office lost her life on that road while returning from Praia das Rocas with her family. This profound experience compelled him to undertake the project.
The fire in Pedrógão Grande resulted in 66 deaths and 253 injuries. It also devastated approximately five hundred houses, including 261 permanent dwellings, and affected 50 companies. Tragically, over two-thirds of the fatalities, amounting to 47 individuals were driving on the EN (national road) 236-1 between Castanheira de Pera and Figueiró dos Vinhos, finding themselves surrounded by flames.
The fires had an impact on approximately 53,000 hectares of territory, with 20,000 hectares comprising forested areas. The affected areas primarily included the municipalities of Pedrógão Grande, Castanheira de Pera, and Figueiró dos Vinhos in the district of Leiria. The fires also extended to the districts of Coimbra, affecting Góis, Penela, and Pampilhosa da Serra, as well as Sertã. Furthermore, the fires impacted Alvaiázere and Ansião in Leiria, Arganil in Coimbra, and Oleiros in Castelo Branco.
Four months after the June fire, on October 17, 2017, another forest fire ravaged the same region, tragically claiming the lives of an additional 49 people, bringing the total fatalities to 115. The monument was made accessible to the public without an official ceremony on June 16 after Infraestruturas de Portugal collaborated with the Association of Victims of the Pedrógão Grande Fire (AVIPG).
Sources: Observador, TSF, and DN.
