2023 was the first year without loss of life as a result of fires.

2023 was the first year without deaths from wildfires and forest fires, the Agency for Integrated Fire Management (AGIF) reported this Monday.

“I think we should celebrate 2023 because this is the first year in which we have no deaths among civilians, among military personnel, or even among people who were surprised and burned,” AGIF President Thiago told reporters Oliveira.

According to data published by AGIF at a press conference dedicated to the main results of the Integrated Rural Fire Management System in 2023, in 2018, 13 people died as a result of fires, including 12 civilians, in 2019, 10 people died as a result of fires, in 2020 Nine people died, six of which occurred in combat.

In 2021, the death toll dropped to six (four due to fires), and in 2022 to four.

The AGIF President also noted the decrease in the number of fires in the summer months and the reduction in the area of ​​fires, which as of October 15 amounted to 34,419 hectares, which is the fourth smallest figure since 2000.

Thiago Oliveira explained that the weather conditions were not as severe as in 2018 and 2022, but the “device control capabilities” were greater.

There were 7,635 rural fires this year, down 26% from 2022, which burned 34,419 hectares, down 69% from 2022.

“Over the past six years, we have been able to reduce the area of ​​fires by a third and halve the number of fires,” he said, noting that “2023 confirms the trends observed” over the past six years, which he justified as investments in prevention.

The AGIF President stated that Portugal has “strategy, planning and joint programming at different levels”, namely national, regional and sub-regional, in addition to quarterly monitoring.

“The behavior of the Portuguese, whether managing fuel around houses or reducing the number of fires in midsummer, shows that people have realized the risk associated with using fire on difficult days,” he said.

The official also stated that this result was due to a group of entities, namely municipalities, parishes and operators, who “tried their best to ensure that the main goal was achieved”, with only two large fires over thousands of hectares recorded this year, while the average in recent years has been seven houses.

At the press conference, the President of the National Emergency Management and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Duarte Costa, also said that the success was due to the Portuguese, as well as more combat resources, greater training capacity, and the creation of teams. an interdisciplinary and ongoing commitment to the professionalization of volunteer firefighters.

AGIF also outlined goals for 2024 that include strengthening incentives for owners and associations, ensuring quality of decision making and management capacity in efficient and effective use of resources, analyzing processes to improve system performance, mobilizing organizations to execute projects. planned at national, regional and sub-regional levels, restoring burnt areas and increasing forestry, extensive ranching and controlled fire areas.