The Minister of the Interior warned this Saturday of “the worst combination of factors since Pedrogan Grande” in terms of the risk of fires in Portugal, calling for “everything” to be done to prevent a recurrence of this situation.
“I want to convey, emphasize, amplify the message that the conditions are indeed very difficult and will require a lot from all of us so that we can avoid the worst in the coming days. Avoiding the worst really means facing a combination of factors that is perhaps the worst combination of factors that have existed since Pedrogan Grande,” said José Luis Carneiro.
The Minister of the Interior spoke to reporters at the Figo Maduro Air Base in Lisbon shortly after flying an Air Force P-3C Cup+ over the raging fires in Carraceda de Anciaes, in the Bragança region and in Urem. .
Asked if the current combination of factors could lead to a repeat of a situation similar to the one that occurred in Pedrogan Grande on June 17, 2017, when 66 people died, José Luis Carneiro replied: “We must do everything to avoid this.”
“But it is clear that temperatures that can reach 44 and 45 degrees, easterly winds blowing northwest at more than 60 kilometers per hour, at night when nights are considered tropical nights, and with dry thunderstorms (…) [fazem com que estejam] there are a number of conditions to make the next few days the most challenging days we have had in years since Pedrogane Grande,” he repeated.
Asked if the government now has more means to deal with this kind of situation than in 2017, José Luis Carneiro said that “the competent authorities that recognized him recognized” the efforts made by the executive branch to strengthen the means of fighting fires.
“Everyone recognized (…) that we have evolved a lot in terms of skills and technical capabilities, human resources and how we organize human and technological resources,” he stressed.
The official, however, noted that “funds are always limited in light of the scale of variables” currently observed in Portuguese territory and urged the Portuguese population not to engage in risky behavior in the coming days.
“Behaving safely, not starting fires, not using agricultural or forestry equipment, helping with burns and fires, this is really the biggest help that the Portuguese can give to Portuguese firefighters and which they can give to collective security,” he stressed.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
