The president of the regional government of Madeira said on Sunday that firefighting in the region is focused on “preserving and protecting urban areas”, criticising comments from “political vultures” and “insufficient” support from the state.
“Madeira and the Azores, at the moment, within the framework of the regional finance law, are of great importance to the state. The state declares that Madeira and the Azores are an integral part of the nation and the Portuguese state, but it increasingly spends less money, so it is a good deal,” said the leader of the regional executive of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque (PSD).
The President of the Regional Government of Madeira spoke to journalists in Curral das Freiras, municipality of Câmara de Lobos, on the island of Madeira, about the fight against the fire that broke out on Wednesday in the region and which has three active fronts this Sunday.
Asked about possible investments to strengthen the air resources in the region with the support of the Government of the Republic, of which Madeira has only one, Miguel Albuquerque said that “the State does not assume responsibility” in the autonomous regions for “additional expenses.” “In areas such as education, health and civil protection.
“As for me, I even had three or four [meios aéreos]”but we will have to negotiate,” the government official said, noting that the region is currently spending three million euros on its available air resources and that it “plays a crucial role” in fighting the fires.
Regarding the active shooting in the region since Wednesday and criticism regarding the mobilization of combat resources, Miguel Albuquerque said that “there is a group of political vultures who want to take advantage of these situations to extract dividends” as well as “a bench of trainers who have never been in a fire, they do not know how to put out a fire.”
“We act in accordance with technical regulations. Fires are not extinguished without control,” he emphasized.
The fire, which started on Wednesday morning in the municipality of Ribeira Brava and the following day spread to the neighboring municipality of Câmara de Lobos, today has three active fronts, “with an extension to the north, especially in the Serra de Water,” the head of the regional government noted.
The official stressed that the fire occurs in hard-to-reach places where there are no houses nearby, and explained that removing people from their homes is a preventive measure to prevent them from inhaling smoke, especially the elderly and children.
“What is important at the moment is that we have managed to protect urban areas, housing, and we will continue this strategy,” he stressed.
Regarding the willingness of the Autonomous Region of the Azores to send resources to support the fight against this fire, Miguel Albuquerque said that Madeira is receptive to this assistance, but the decision depends on the development of the situation during the day, including the team that arrived from Lisbon.
The leader of the Madeira executive noted that the situation in Curral das Freiras is “more controlled” and the fire has not reached Pico do Areiro, one of the highest points in Madeira.
Responding to criticism about the lack of fire prevention and forest conservation policies in the region, a government official highlighted investments in “massive reforestation efforts,” citing the roughly 300 hectares in Caminho dos Pretos as one of the most important, and assured that “everything necessary” is being done in the area of prevention.
“Now that we have situations with arson, and this is repeated […]”Where this arson occurs at a time when the wind force makes it impossible for air resources to intervene, the situation obviously becomes more complicated,” he explained.