The Secretary of State for Internal Affairs, Jorge Gomes, and the Chilean Ambassador to Portugal, Germán Guerrero Pavez, attended the departure today 28th January of a team from the National Authority of Civil Protection (ANPC), which will support Chile in combating forest fires, which have been beating that country for a month.

The Portuguese Government’s response follows the request for international assistance to forest fires presented by the Chilean authorities in the framework of the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union.

The Portuguese Government mobilizes an Operational Force with terrestrial means composed of 52 operatives of the Special Fire Service of the National Civil Protection Authority.

Under the solidarity that must govern the relationship between friendly countries, and considering the scenario in question, Portugal sent a team which includes an ANPC command team.

Also in this context, the ANPC also provided an expert on forest fires for eventual integration into the evaluation team that will be mobilized.

Since December 2016, Chile has probably faced the worst wave of forest fires in its history, and there are already lamented several deaths, more than 100 people removed from their homes and considerable damages in the building, being the regions of Valparaiso, Metropolitana, O’Higgins, Maule, Biobio, La Araucania and Los Lagos the most affected.