“I was landing on the field in São Jorge to pick up four members of the Permanent Intervention Team (EIP) when one of the rotor blades hit the trellis and damaged a blade on a vine. They were able to land safely, and there are no injuries among the four EIP members and the pilot,” said Olegário Gonçalves.
In statements to the Lusa agency, the social-democratic mayor added that the “helicopter is on site”, with mechanics expected to arrive for repairs.
“It’s likely they won’t be able to do it today. The helicopter has to stay in place. It will be replaced either today or tomorrow morning [Thursday] by another helicopter,” he added.
Olegário Gonçalves revealed that “from August 1, the second helicopter [moved to Portalegre] will return to Arcos de Valdevez.”
On June 27, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection stated that to mitigate the absence of five aerial means in the Special Device for Fighting Rural Fires (DECIR) 2025, one of the two aerial means, still under maintenance at the Arcos de Valdevez heliport, would be moved to Portalegre.
At the time, the social-democratic mayor of Ponte da Barca appealed to the Government to reverse the decision to relocate the second aerial means from Alto Minho to Portalegre, “to ensure the greater and better response in fighting fires.”
“The district of Viana do Castelo records, on average, more than 1,300 rural fires per year, with a high simultaneity rate. In 2024, it was the second district with the most occurrences, with 265 fires, and also the one that recorded the largest burnt area,” warned the mayor Augusto Marinho.
In a statement sent to newsrooms regarding the Government’s decision to relocate a helicopter from the Arcos de Valdevez air resources center to Portalegre as a way to alleviate the absence of five aerial means in DECIR 2025, the PSD mayor made “a public appeal to the Government, in the person of the Minister of Internal Administration, to reverse the decision to withdraw the second aerial means from the district, keeping all means to ensure the greatest and best response in fighting fires.”
Augusto Marinho reminded that 52% of the municipality of Ponte da Barca is part of the Peneda-Gerês National Park.
“It’s essential to ensure all possible means in the territory to safeguard populations and the immense existing natural heritage,” he emphasized.
With a total area of 222,000 hectares, the district of Viana do Castelo has 208 parishes, 99 of which (8.9% of the total in the country) are considered priorities in forest fire prevention, with 1,185 identified priority locations.
On the occasion, Olegário Gonçalves expressed concern about the relocation of a helicopter from the local heliport to Portalegre but cited the need for solidarity with other regions lacking these aerial means.
“We reacted with some regret. But we also know that there are other areas of the country without aerial coverage [for fighting fires], and obviously, we must be supportive of each other,” he stated.
Last Tuesday, the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) stated that the helicopter was “inoperable.”
“I believe the maintenance issue has been resolved, and it will come to Arcos de Valdevez, and we will have two helicopters,” said today Olegário Gonçalves.
The aerial means that this afternoon hit a vine trellis was collecting the EIP team heading to combat a re-ignition of a fire in São Jorge, which at 4:50 PM, mobilized eight operatives, supported by two vehicles.
[News updated at 6:42 PM]
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