Amidst ongoing challenges in battling fires that have persisted for weeks and the resulting casualties, issues such as electricity supply in fire-affected areas are under investigation.
E-Redes clarified that “there were no recorded faults in the Medium Voltage network overnight, early morning, or morning in the Serra da Estrela or Almeida areas, which also suffered a major fire, and the network is operating normally.”
Regarding the Low Voltage network, the distributor assured that “all known incidents have been resolved”. However, “it is acknowledged that unreported faults may persist, especially in isolated villages located in municipalities where fires are still active or where mop-up operations are ongoing.”
E-Redes explained that, as “usual,” checks will be conducted on the ground “as soon as safety conditions for movement of their teams are met.” A close interaction with Municipalities and Civil Protection is maintained to ensure coordinated management of the most critical situations.
The wave of fires ravaging the country has lasted about a month. This Friday, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority highlighted four significant occurrences: Piódão, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Armamar, and Vila Real.
It was revealed this week that Portugal is the EU country with the most burned area. Additionally, this Friday, the President remarked that the 15th could be “complicated” concerning fires, particularly regarding the convergence of multiple fires. “It might not have happened, but it did. Once it happened, the situation worsened.”
The government approved, on Thursday, during an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting in Viseu, a framework with 45 measures “to be adopted in the event of large-scale fires affecting heritage, family, and business economies,” aiming for swift and efficient implementation of support measures for affected regions and people.
This Friday, the president of the Portuguese Firefighters League (LBP), António Nunes, stated his intention to discuss structural concerns of the corporations and coordination issues of the firefighting efforts with the President of the Republic. A meeting is scheduled for next week in Belém.
Besides issues such as “volunteer firefighters’ career paths, the social status of firefighters, the status of association leaders, or the national command of firefighters,” the LBP will “highlight concerns regarding the incidents during this period of forest firefighting.”
The LBP president also intends to address the delayed international aid request and the “non-convocation of the National Civil Protection Commission.”
According to provisional official data, by August 21, 234,000 hectares have burned nationwide, with more than 53,000 hectares destroyed in the Arganil fire alone.
