Year: 2017

The Prime Minister António Costa announced that the Government declared a public calamity in all districts north of the Tagus to ensure the mobilization of more means to combat forest fires.

The Prime Minister made this statement at the National Command of Relief Operations of the National Civil Protection Authority in Oeiras, accompanied by the Minister of Internal Administration, Constança Urbano de Sousa.

“A decree of public calamity was signed by me and by the Minister of Internal Affairs in all the districts north of the Tagus, in order to create the best conditions for the mobilization of means and, in particular, to guarantee voluntary firefighters their rights to participate in this mission, ensuring the justification of absences in the workplace and two days of rest for each one in which they are participating in the fight against the fires, “said António Costa.

Condolences to families, encouragement to firefighters

The Prime Minister began by expressing condolences to the families of the victims of the fires on October 15, conveying “a word of solidarity with all the populations that have been threatened by a day that was devastating throughout the country.

António Costa also left “a word of encouragement to the more than 12,000 operatives who throughout the day tried to stop the flames and the more than 6,000 who are still fighting the flames at the moment”.

On October 15 there were “523 fires in the whole of the country and therefore the means were stretched to the limits”, “at a stage of the year in which, by the normal conditions of the climate, it is more difficult to mobilize resources. ”

“We will surely have a very difficult day,” on October 16th. “The forecasts of the meteorological evolution may allow some hope in the coastal areas, but for the interior areas we will still have very high levels of fire risk throughout the day,” said António Costa.

Reform of systems of prevention and combat

The Prime Minister said that “this was a dramatic year from the point of view of the tragedy of human lives, from the point of view of the extent of material damage, from the point of view of gravity and prolongation of occurrences. And therefore, nothing can remain as it was. ”

The political responsibility of the Government is to transform the recommendations of the Independent Technical Commission “into reality and to act”, with the “awareness that moving from a report to reality necessarily implies time, political action, mobilization of resources, mobilization of resources ‘.

The Council of Ministers will meet on October 21 to discuss forest and fire issues, paying particular attention to the conclusions contained in the report of the Independent Technical Commission on the fires that occurred last June in Pedrogão Grande and Góis.

This is “the worst day of the year on forest fires,” said the civil protection spokeswoman. “We have already surpassed 303 fires since midnight,” said Patrícia Gaspar, at the 17:30 briefing to journalists, stressing that at that time “all available means are involved in fighting fires”.

At 17:30 hrs there were 13 fires of high importance, most notably those of Monção, Seia, Vale de Cambra, Lousã, Sertã and Arganil. About 1500 operatives are fighting these fires.

As at 15:30 hrs today there were a total of 122 fires of which 53 are active, 19 at a resolution stage and 50 in conclusion. A total of 3846 firefighters are deployed supported by 1046 vehicles and 14 aircraft/helicopters. There are many road closures – see below.

Of the active fires eight are classed as significant. Two of these are in Guards, two in Viseu, and the others in Coimbra, Aveiro, Braga and Viana do Castelo.

It is called “functional fault” and the President of the Republic stressed the concept: even without individual responsibilities, that the State is responsible for the failures of services

Irrespective of political responsibilities or mistakes made by those who commanded Pedrógão Grande’s firefighting operations, the State – not just this specific Government – failed to protect its citizens by actions and omissions of measures that led to the death of 64 people. So you must take your guilt and compensate the victims with all speed. This is, in summary, is he interpretation of the words of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, yesterday in Pedrógão, heard by the Diarios de Noticais

The President of the Republic has already read the report of the independent technical commission – which points out several failures in fire prevention and fighting in the country, in particular those of Pedrógão and Góis – and pressured the government to take “consequences”. The prime minister reacted and once again underlined the confidence in the Minister of Internal Administration.

The President wanted the conclusions of the report to support a civil accountability of the State. “Also in light of the content of the report, regarding the framework of actions and omissions in the concept of functional fault or anomalous functioning, even if not personalized,” which constitutes “a precondition of civil liability for public administration,” said the head of State. According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, “Portugal has a duty to make such an assessment – and quickly – given the exceptional dimension of personal injury, starting with the biggest and most poignant of them, which is the loss of so many lives.”

João Guerreiro, President of the Independent Technical Commission created to analyse the events that led to the death of 64 people in Pedrógão Grande, presented the Commission’s report to the Assembly of the Republic on Thursday 12^th October. Among the findings are:

• Pedrógão fire caused by electric discharge from power lines and Góis by lightning
• The commission states that measures could have been taken in the early hours of the fire-fighting to avoid more serious consequences.
• An early warning could have prevented most of the 64 deaths recorded in the fire. In the item entitled “What could have been different”, it is said that “this absence of early warning, because the fire was not read at 6:00 p.m. (and even earlier), did not allow to prevent most fatalities” .
• There were flaws in the fire-fighting command and lacked measures that “could have moderated” its effects. “The measures that should have been taken, the responsibility of the command, and immediately after the start of the fire, could have moderated the effects.” –
• The chairman of the technical committee ruled out any responsibility of the GNR in driving cars to National Road 236, where 30 people died.
• The “tactical and strategic options” taken during the firefight of Pedrógão Grande contributed to the “catastrophic consequences” of fire.
• Pedrógão Grande’s fire shows that combat systems “are not prepared” to deal with climate change.
• The authorities did not have “the perception of the potential gravity of the fire” of Pedrógão Grande, reason why in the initial combat “the means that were available were not mobilized completely”.
• The current national operational commander of Civil Protection, Albino Tavares, ordered, in the early hours of June 18, the communications operators not to record any more alerts in the tape of the time of the fire of Pedrógão Grande.
• The excessive presence of authorities and the media at the operational command post (PCO) disrupted the firefighting, along with some lesser experience in command.
• The main problem of fuel management in the areas devastated in June by the fire of Pedrógão Grande was the non-compliance of the legislation for the secondary network bands.
• The National Civil Protection Authority’s National Operational Commander (CONAC) should have had “an active presence” during the Pedrógão Grande fire and “kept the call” of this rescue operation.
• The health centers “are neither prepared nor equipped” to respond to a tragedy such as occurred during the June fires in the Central region.
• SIRESP is “based on outdated technology” and “obsolete”, having been “notorious for failure” of this system of communications and mobile networks.
• More than half of the deaths in the fire that began on June 17 in Pedrógão Grande occurred in a space of about 15 minutes.
• The idea that most forest fires are of criminal origin is “a myth widely spread by the media” and “inadvertently” taken advantage of by some politicians, which has contributed to a “disengagement of society”.
• The National Forest Fire Protection System is based largely on empirical knowledge, leading to many of the decisions taken on the ground are based on “normally questionable perceptions”, requiring technical knowledge.
• The creation of an Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fire, consisting of units that operate “up to the regional / district level”, is defended in the report of the technical commission.
• The Armed Forces (FA) “are underutilized” and must be “properly framed” within the scope of the National System of Integrated Management of Rural Fire, namely in the logistical support to combat operations, in the aftermath and in the patrolling. –
• It is proposed to create a program to promote a forest based on oak, chestnut and other hardwoods.
• “Portugal without fire depends on all” program is out of order and has had no effect.
• The National School of Firemen, financed by public money, must be transformed into a professional school and integrated into the national educational system.
• Portugal has spent about 6,585 million euros in the last 16 years on fires, but only 410 million euros have been invested in prevention. – Since 2000, 165 people died in forest fires, 2017 of which 64 were the deadliest of Pedrógão, the deadliest since it was registered.

About ten thousand members of the security forces and services, such as the PSP, GNR, SEF, ASAE, Maritime Police and prison guard, participate in the demonstration.

A strong police device was set up in front of the Ministry of Finance in Lisbon, where a demonstration by members of the security forces which ended on 12^th October,

Police, including members of the Intervention Corps, surrounded the Ministry of Finance in the Commerce Square along with some cars from the Special Police Unit.

The demonstrators, when they arrived at the scene and came across the police security, shouted “shame, shame”.

Initially, the organization of the demonstration had announced between six thousand and seven thousand participants, but in the middle of the event, which began in the Marquis of Pombal, the Lusa agency reported that the number was ten thousand members of security forces and services,

The traffic was cut along the itinerary of the demonstration.

The demonstration is organized by the Permanent Coordinating Committee of the Trade Unions and Professional Associations of the Security Forces and Services, and began in the Marquis of Pombal to end with the Ministry of Finance.

Participants, who include elements of the PSP, GNR, SEF, ASAE, Maritime Police and prison ward, display posters with phrases such as “Thawing already, for the right to career progression”, “We demand the removal of the restrictions on compensation rates” and shout slogans as “Centeno listens, the cops are fighting” and “United cops will never be defeated.”

The report released on 12^th October concludes that an early warning could have prevented most of the 64 deaths recorded in the Pedrógão Grande fire.

João Guerreiro, president of the independent technical commission created to analyse the events that led to the death of 64 people in Pedrógão Grande, said on Thursday That the final conclusion is that there was a human error in the initial response of the command of operations.

The technical commission indicates, however, that there existed a set of special circumstances that serve as mitigating factors for human error, such as weather conditions.

The report concludes there was no pre-positioning of forces, nor analysis of the evolution of the situation based on the available meteorological information. in which the warning of the fire was communicated, there was no perception of the potential severity of the fire, the resources that were available were not completely mobilised and extreme weather in place up until 3:00 p.m. on June 18, (the outbreak of the fire ) resulted in an unmanageable situation “.

It also addsIn addition to the failure to combat fire, authorities were slow to realize the need to evacuate localities, given the uncontrollable nature of the fire that was brewing on several fronts.

In the report, presented this Thursday in the Assembly of the Republic, the various causes and responsibilities regarding the fire are outlined. Read the full report here

The report is unanimous and approved by all members of the committee of experts set up by the Assembly of the Republic – experts appointed by parliamentary groups and the council of rectors.

Read a summary of  what caused the fires and what failed in the response to the fires here:

The technical commission says that the fire of Pedrógão Grande was the second largest “in the history of the country since records began” and that it was caused by electrical discharge from the distribution network (power lines).
It was a fire in Portugal that “that had more energy and spread quickly (with a maximum of 4459 hectares burned in an hour),” the report reads.

The Goles fire was the eighth largest since records were issued, and it was caused by lightning.

The absence of an early warning, because the fire was not read at 18:00 hrs (and even earlier), did not prevent most fatalities.

This advance work, he adds, “Should have been done within the command and planning of this relief operation and should have resulted in the mobilization of the necessary resources, including the GNR, to prevent an escape to death, just as it happened.”

“In turn, such anticipatory work could only have been done with the support of fire analysts and specialized meteorologists to allow an adequate assessment of the situation in real time. The truth is that none of these competences exists in the National Civil Protection Authority, despite the enormous gravity and frequency of fires in Portugal, “the document states.

The report also says that, since the deaths on National Highway 236-1 occurred following the escape from the villages located east of this road, “it could have been hypothesized to cut the roads of access to EN 236-1, “which would have an outcome” probably even worse, as it would have eventually led to more casualties, including the officers themselves. ”

“Excluding this hypothesis, two measures could nevertheless have been taken, both dependent on information that the GNR did not have. It could have been ordered the timely evacuation of the threatened villages or measures could have been taken to avoid people returning to their houses”, the commission said. The President of the Commission Independent Technique however excludes any responsibility of the GNR in driving cars to National Road 236, where dozens of people died.

In its view, any of those decisions should have resulted from “an appropriate analysis of the situation in order to predict the potential behaviour of the fire which started more than five hours before.”

The technical commission also questions why it a helicopter was not immediately mobilized for the fire of Góis that was available and parked in Pampilhosa da Serra, since “was much closer” than the helicopter which was called, which was in Ferreira do Zêzere.

It is also questioned why a helicopter was not mobilized for the fire of Pedrógão Grande that was available in the Pombal.

“The decisions taken could have been other, if there had been quicker mobilization of the helicopter stationed in the Pombal CMA and if it had been considered, from the outset, that the parishes of the municipality of Pedrógão Grande were referred to as priority parishes, this presenting a significant potential risk, “is explained.

In reviewing “the readiness of the forest fire defence system,” the commission states that “the inability to recognize and / or respond timely and adequately to the weather conditions that would be faced on 17th is tragic” in the case of Pedrógão Grande, in the district of Leiria.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced the reactivation, starting on Wednesday, of 72 watch stations of the GNR and the extension of the contracts of the aerial resources until the end of October due to the fires.

In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) said that the primary network of watch stations of the GNR was re-activated, with the 72 stations in the network being operational between Wednesday and October 31.

In the area of ​​combat, the MAI determined the extension of air transport contracts until the end of October, with two heavy airplanes, two medium-sized aircradft and eight medium helicopters available, in addition to the state’s own resources, a fleet composed of three light helicopters and three heavy.

The Government announces these measures after reports that according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs they say that “it will not have taken care of the means of surveillance, detection and combat necessary to the meteorological framework of the last days , conducive to the propagation of forest fires”.

The GNR, the entity that manages these lookout posts, said that since October 1 ,the country had not active any of the 236 stations.

The GNR underlined that it had complied with the provisions of the National Operational Directive, in which the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) and the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) plan the annual means of fighting the fires.

Official GNR source explained that, as in other years, the stations were closed on that day (30^th September), with the end of the most critical stage of alert – Charlie phase – due to the end of the term contract with the workers who were doing this surveillance.

The Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Jorge Gomes, has no “way of proving”, but considers that several of the forest fires that have arisen in the last hours in the country have “criminal origin”.

These are fires that “someone really wants to provoke,” he told the Lusa news agency, the official, who is traveling to Pampilhosa da Serra (Coimbra district) in the afternoon, where, from 23:20 on Friday a fire that, at that time, progressed on five fronts.

“It is the will to burn that continues to prevail and create this instability in the country and in the people,” said Jorge Gomes, noting that “this is not forgivable at all.”

“This is something abnormal, not only because of the weather,” characterized by a long period of drought and high temperatures, but also because many of these fires “started at night,” he said.

“The fire in Pampilhosa da Serra started at 11 p.m. [Friday] and there were three attempts to create it,” said the official, adding that “firefighters were able to erase the first attempt” and when they “walked to erase the second [attempt], “a third focus emerged, ending with a fire  developing with the dimension that is now recorded.

Also in Ribeira de Pena, in the Vila Real district, the fire “began at about 01.30 hrs today”, reaching now “some proportions”, the Secretary of State also pointed out. Porto) the flames began during the night.

“Just to give another example,” Jorge Gomes recalled that in Marco de Canaveses the fire that is burning with intensity in this district of Porto district “was born in four different points”, while the fires in Ansião and Pombal, in the district of Leiria, meanwhile already dominated, originated on Friday at precisely the same time (14:14).

On the fire in Pampilhosa da Serra, which has since advanced to the municipality of Arganil, where two of its fronts have been pumped more intensely, the secretary of state said he hoped that the flames could be overcome with night-time cooling.

The fire in those two municipalities in the interior of the district of Coimbra is one of the 87 forest fires that continue to work in the territory of the continent, mobilizing by 19:15, about 2,900 operational, more than 800 vehicles and eight aerial means, according to the page of the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) on the internet.