“The JPP believes that the Autonomous Region of Madeira, as an integral part of the Portuguese State, should demonstrate national solidarity and an articulated response capability in emergency situations,” the party stated in a communiqué.
The JPP justifies the suggestion due to “the severity of the situation in mainland Portugal, with a potential worsening trend owing to unfavorable weather conditions, where thousands of operatives are daily battling multiple active fronts.”
Lina Pereira, the president of the JPP, highlighted in the document, recalls that in the summer of 2024, when Madeira faced a 16-day fire affecting four municipalities, professional firefighters from the mainland were sent to the island to support local firefighting efforts.
“It’s time for us to rise and reciprocate now that the mainland firefighters need everyone’s assistance,” adds the also deputy in the Madeira Legislative Assembly.
The JPP leader emphasizes that Madeira has a “professional firefighting team with competence, experience, and preparation to operate in challenging scenarios.”
According to Lina Pereira, “dispatching teams or specialized capabilities to mainland territory would significantly bolster the firefighting resources, while also demonstrating the spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance between regions, which is crucial in times of crisis.”
She underscores that “solidarity between regions cannot remain just a topic in political speeches,” urging that “it must materialize in practical actions.”
She calls on the Madeira Regional Government “to immediately initiate contacts with the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority to assess on-ground needs and provide appropriate human and logistical resources.”
Close to 1,600 operatives, supported by more than 400 vehicles, were mobilized by 17:30 today to combat 80 rural fires in mainland Portugal, according to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).
Mainland Portugal entered an alert status today due to the high risk of fire in the upcoming days.
On August 14 last year, a forest fire broke out in Serra d’Água, in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, spreading to neighboring municipalities (Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, and Santana), lasting 14 days and burning an estimated area of over 5,000 hectares, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (Copernicus).
The firefighting efforts involved members of the Joint Operational Force from the mainland and firefighters from the Azores.
The population of the Fajã das Galinhas site in Câmara de Lobos municipality (estimated at 36 families) had to be relocated due to the dangerousness of the access road to the site.
