“The government of Luís Montenegro was late in addressing this problem, underestimated the magnitude [of the fires], and failed to take necessary measures. It wasn’t possible to prevent everything, and there’s no point in being demagogic to that extent, but when it finally responded, it did so arrogantly,” stated Paulo Raimundo to journalists during a visit to burned areas in the municipality of Ponte da Barca, Viana do Castelo district.
According to the leader of the PCP, the country “doesn’t need arrogance,” but rather “humility to fight a difficult battle against the fires, to create [better] conditions, to provide resources, and to be present in challenging times where necessary.”
When asked about the specific actions of the Minister of Internal Administration, Paulo Raimundo remarked that Maria Lúcia Amaral “is part of the government.”
“Therefore, she holds as much responsibility for the delayed response and arrogance as the Prime Minister,” emphasized the PCP’s general secretary.
Paulo Raimundo acknowledges that fighting the fires is a “demanding situation that requires measures,” recalling the plan drafted after the major fires in 2017, which included “a list of issues decided upon to be implemented but which never materialized.”
“We can’t resolve everything: but it is possible to provide more resources to those fighting the fires, enhance forest preservation, and find solutions, as they have already been identified. Implement what’s in the plan,” urged the leader of the PCP.
Raimundo provided examples, such as soil stabilization after fires, which has not progressed in many areas of the country, support for small producers, feeding livestock, and rapid, streamlined recovery of aid.
“These are necessary measures that only remain untaken due to political choices. We can’t prevent the fires, but we can create all the conditions to preserve as much as possible, to anticipate as much as possible, to establish conditions so when fires occur, we can be in effective combat and prevent them from becoming a disaster of such magnitude,” pointed out the PCP’s general secretary.
For Paulo Raimundo, political choices have repercussions.
“This involves a simple decision: whether the country, instead of rescuing banks, instead of using public funds for banks, instead of providing public money for corporate tax cuts for large companies, chooses to renew its forests to rebuild the nation. That’s the choice. It’s a political issue. As long as we continue with such a practice, which in itself is incendiary, there’s no solution to this problem,” asserted the PCP leader.
Mainland Portugal has been experiencing numerous rural fires since July, particularly in the northern and central regions, amidst high temperatures that prompted the declaration of an alert status since August 2.
The fires resulted in two deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, mostly minor, while fully or partially destroying primary and secondary residences, agricultural holdings, and forested areas.
Portugal activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which two Fire Boss planes arrived to bolster the firefighting efforts.
According to provisional official data, more than 201,000 hectares have burned in the country so far, surpassing the total area burned in all of 2024.
