“Yes, Portugal has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, and we are mobilizing the support that the country has requested,” said the European Commission spokesperson, Eva Hrncirova.
Portugal requested four Canadair aircraft from the European Union today to aid in battling forest fires.
At a press conference at the headquarters of the National Authority for Civil Protection in Carnaxide, informing about the progress of the fires ravaging the country, the national commander for civil protection, Mário Silvestre, stated that Portugal would be the seventh country to activate the European mechanism.
Initially, the authorities decided to call upon bilateral cooperation agreements with Spain and Morocco, with the latter providing two Canadair aircraft, which will remain in Portugal until Monday. Spanish resources supported the firefighting efforts in Castelo de Vide and Chaves, he indicated.
Mário Silvestre justified the activation of the European civil protection mechanism due to weather conditions that did not allow the containment of some fires overnight.
Regarding the fire in Lousã, he mentioned that it could not be controlled and that the flames spread 30 kilometers in three hours, now encompassing a perimeter of 208 kilometers.
