“Outcomes of our negotiations with Morocco will determine whether to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism for deploying aerial resources. If Morocco maintains its current stance, we will likely refrain from this activation, especially as we have two other Canadair aircraft operational,” stated the national commander for Emergency and Civil Protection, Mário Silvestre.
Speaking at the daily briefing on forest fire combating efforts, Silvestre assured that having four Canadair aircraft is adequate for fighting the fires.
“With four Canadair and other aerial means, we will surely have the necessary resources to tackle the problem we face,” he added.
Silvestre further mentioned a request to the Armed Forces for increased military support on the ground, mainly for consoling and cooling down operations after fires, allowing more personnel to be available for actively combating the flames. Additional tracked machines have also been requested.
Shortly after the briefing concluded, the Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that the Army would provide three platoons dedicated to cooling down hot spots, comprising 60 soldiers, as part of the nearly 300 personnel the military branch has on the ground daily.
The Portuguese Army has already mobilized over 3,200 soldiers to combat fires throughout the country, maintaining 35 patrols daily for surveillance and fire detection, the Armed Forces branch announced today.
Lusa | 21:31 – 14/08/2025
