“By resolution of the council of ministers, it was decided that all firefighters who fought on the front line in the most affected areas during the period from July 26 to August 27 will receive a 25% increase in their daily wages, which will extend for an additional 15 days,” stated Maria Lúcia Amaral, in the municipality of Lousã, Coimbra district.
The official, who visited the Serpins Volunteer Firefighters this morning, also highlighted the Government’s commitment to defining the professional status for operatives with permanent contracts with local humanitarian associations.
According to the minister, who publicly thanked the Portuguese firefighters, the “rigorous and fair” definition of their professional status “will be a concern for the Government in the coming months.”
Following the fires that ravaged Portugal in July and August, burning over 250,000 hectares of forest, Maria Lúcia Amaral emphasized that it is time to “rebuild, set goals, seriously address the problems, and immediately help rebuild the lives of those profoundly affected.”
In a statement to the journalists, the official admitted that “with this scale of disaster” not everything went well in the response to the fires, but stressed that now “it’s time to understand what happened and evaluate.”
The Minister of Internal Affairs denied that the civil protection system collapsed, suggesting that “the country responded,” although critical analysis of its functioning is “on the table.”
The municipality of Lousã was impacted by a major fire that began on the 14th, spread to neighboring municipalities, and consumed 3,500 hectares in the Lousã Mountain Range.
Continental Portugal has been affected by numerous large rural fires since July, particularly in the North and Center regions.
The fires caused four deaths, including a firefighter, multiple injuries, some serious, and partially or completely destroyed primary and secondary residences, as well as agricultural and livestock operations and forested areas.
According to provisional official data, by August 23, around 250,000 hectares had burned in the country, with over 57,000 hectares lost in the fire that started in Arganil.
