A firefighter from Tondela was rescued on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries following a fall in a hard-to-reach area while battling a fire that broke out in Póvoa da Medronhosa, Viseu, where “suspicious devices” were found.
The 40-year-old man “suffered trauma after a fall in an inhospitable, hard-to-access location,” stated Rui Nogueira, commander of the Viseu Fire Brigade.
“We promptly stabilized him with the resources we had on-site and then requested further support,” he added.
In addition to a team from the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) with a medical emergency and resuscitation vehicle (VMER) and firefighters, a helicopter from the Air Force was dispatched to the scene for the rescue.
“The firefighter, deemed seriously injured, was airlifted to the Paradinha football field, from where he was taken by ambulance with VMER support to Viseu Hospital,” noted the commander.
The Air Force released a video of the rescue carried out by Squadron 552 – ‘Zangões’.
“The Lisbon Search and Rescue Coordination Center (RCC Lisbon), at the request of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), activated the AW119 Koala helicopter crew, stationed at Air Base No. 8 in Ovar, to rescue the injured firefighter in a difficult-to-access location,” detailed a statement issued on Thursday.
The fire alert was given at 14:20 yesterday. By 18:30, the commander told Lusa that the fire was already in the mop-up phase.
“The fire is under control, and we continue with mop-up operations. It was an incident with some complexity, involving 97 personnel with 28 vehicles, supported by aerial means, including a helicopter and two planes,” he counted.
Watch the rescue images in the gallery above.
