The modular hospital adjacent to the Hospital of Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) in Ponta Delgada was constructed by the Azorean Government following a fire at the facility on May 4 of the previous year.
“I can’t tell you if it has a fire safety plan. What I know of the modular hospital was what was presented to me during the project phase,” stated Rui Andrade during the inquiry committee on the HDES fire, which convened in São Miguel today.
Rui Andrade, who has overseen Azorean Civil Protection since December 2022, was responding to questions from deputies who sought to determine whether the temporary structure of the modular hospital, which reportedly cost the region over 30 million euros, complies with current fire prevention legislation.
“To know if what was constructed effectively matches what was presented in the project, I need to visit the infrastructure,” Andrade continued, noting that the SRPCBA has not yet inspected the modular hospital building, despite its public opening in September 2024.
The Civil Protection president emphasized that current legislation allows inspection of the modular hospital “up to one year after it begins operation,” meaning the structure still complies with these legal terms.
Rui Andrade’s testimony in the parliamentary inquiry commission on the HDES fire, initiated by the PSD parliamentary group in the Azorean parliament, focused heavily on inspection issues, not only for the modular hospital but also for the main building, which had not been inspected since 2013.
“If there was negligence or non-compliance, it is not for me to say. What I am responsible for is to state clearly, based on technical consultations and service records, that from 2013 onwards, the Regional Civil Protection Service was not confronted with any inspection requests for HDES,” reiterated the president of the SRPCBA.
The president reminded that it is the Hospital’s Board of Directors, which manages the facility, that is responsible for requesting inspections of the building but dismissed claims that HDES poses a “risk” to its workers or patients, as suggested by engineers who drafted the internal report following the fire, and who were also heard by the deputies.
“We must combat these alarmist messages, which I do not support, for various reasons; most importantly, because people shouldn’t think they are going to HDES to die or that they are in life-threatening danger,” said Rui Andrade, referring to a phrase used by João Mota Vieira, a professional appointed by the Order of Engineers, who believed HDES still presented fire risks: “people are sitting on a powder keg.”
Rui Andrade praised the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Firefighters for their efforts in tackling the flames during the May 4 fire, noting that they performed their duties diligently under very difficult circumstances.
Açorean parliamentary deputies also heard from Renato Furtado, the coordinator of the Azores’ Polícia Judiciária (PJ), who noted that the fire at HDES was due to accidental circumstances and that “there is no evidence suggesting criminal activity” in this case.
“It was determined, with all the subsequent findings, that the accident was of accidental origin. In other words, no evidence was found suggesting that the fire was the result of deliberate or negligent human action,” stressed the PJ coordinator, noting that the case was forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which decided to close the case.
