Several wildfires are actively burning on the mainland of Portugal, and on Tuesday, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro emphasized that “the fight is everyone’s“, and that “everyone’s collaboration is needed” following a visit to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) in Carnaxide, where he was accompanied by Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral.
In statements to the press, when asked about the number of helicopters available, Maria Lúcia Amaral stated that “knowing how many aerial means we have is not helpful“, noting that the “numbers are irrelevant“.
The minister highlighted that, given the wildfires that most concern the authorities, “the existence of 72 or 76 or 80 aerial means” would be irrelevant because “the difficulty for the operatives is the extremely accidental nature of the orography, the difficulty of access“.
Asked about what may have failed for these fires to become severe, the minister said, “Failures happen, and we wish nothing had occurred in our country“.
Luís Montenegro highlighted that the “combat is everyone’s” and hence “requires everyone’s collaboration”.
Carolina Pereira Soares with Lusa | 14:21 – 29/07/2025
“Are Aerial Means Irrelevant? They Are Key Alongside Ground Resources”
The National Commander of Civil Protection, Mário Silvestre, emphasized that “the aerial means, in conjunction with ground resources, are ultimately the key to achieving success in fighting fires“, after being questioned about the words of the Minister of Internal Administration.
Mário Silvestre explained the need for “a complementarity of resources”. “Aerial means alone do not resolve fires, just as ground teams require air support to advance on the ground and make interventions“.
The national commander of Civil Protection explained today that success in combating fires depends on the complementarity between aerial and ground means, admitting that no commander is satisfied with the resources at their disposal.
Lusa | 19:48 – 29/07/2025
José Luís Carneiro Opts Not to Comment on Interior Minister’s Words
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (PS), José Luís Carneiro, chose not to comment on Maria Lúcia Amaral’s statement that the number of aerial means is “irrelevant”.
However, he offered “words of solidarity to the forces, the civil protection members, and our firefighters who generously and selflessly dedicate their lives to protecting people and property“.
The Secretary-General of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, today expressed solidarity and gratitude for the “generous, selfless, and dedicated” manner in which firefighters and Civil Protection are battling the fires, refraining from commenting on the government’s performance.
Lusa | 20:34 – 29/07/2025
Rui Rocha: “Number of Aerial Means? We Don’t Know Either”
The comments of the Minister of Internal Administration were also remarked upon on the social network X (formerly Twitter) by the deputy and former president of Iniciativa Liberal (IL), Rui Rocha: “Number of aerial means? We don’t know either“, alongside an image from a news article by the newspaper Expresso.
Número de meios aéreos? Também não sabemos. pic.twitter.com/4tQr5E63Py
— Rui Rocha (@ruirochaliberal) July 29, 2025
