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No Bathing on five beaches in Matosinhos after fire at paint factory

Bathing was advised against at the beaches of Aterro, Azul-Conchinha, Boa Nova-Senhora, Fuzelhas and Leça da Palmeira.



The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) advised against bathing on Tuesday in five beaches in Matosinhos, in the district of Porto, due to an outbreak of pollution caused by a fire at a paint factory in Leça da Palmeira.

Bathing was advised against on the beaches of Aterro, Azul-Conchinha, Boa Nova-Senhora, Fuzelhas and Leça da Palmeira, until "water analysis indicates that the values are within the reference parameters," said Tuesday the National Maritime Authority (AMN) in a statement.

The APA and the Public Health Unit of Matosinhos were contacted at 22:00 on Monday, following a fire that broke out early in the evening in a paint factory in Leça da Palmeira.

The Civil Protection of Matosinhos alerted the authorities to the possibility of an outbreak of pollution at sea, due to the rapid movement of wastewater through the stormwater system to a stream that flows into the beach Azul.

"Following the alert were immediately activated to the site elements of the local command of the Maritime Police and the Captaincy of the Port of Leixões, as well as the Northern Maritime Department, which found the presence of an outbreak of pollution in an area of difficult access, and was subsequently contacted a specialized company to proceed to the collection of polluting material," explained the AMN in the press release.

The fire, which started around 7:45 pm, was controlled and extinguished during the afternoon of Tuesday by several fire departments from Matosinhos, Gondomar and Maia, it also added.

The Matosinhos City Council also disclosed, in a statement, the inadvisability of bathing in the five beaches "until further notice", also appealing "to the understanding" of citizens.

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