A social-democratic mayor, who is also part of the Douro Intermunicipal Community (CIM), expressed “outrage” and found it “unacceptable that the municipality of Torre de Moncorvo, where more than 5,500 hectares burned in just two parishes, such as Mós and Carviçais, was not included in this working meeting, leaving out a territory severely affected by the fires,” he told Lusa.
Despite this exclusion, the mayor reaffirmed his commitment to always stand by the population, ensuring that the municipality is already supporting farmers, producers, and families affected by the fire that began on Friday in the parish of Poiares and quickly spread to the municipalities of Torre de Moncorvo and Mogadouro, leaving behind about 13 hectares of burned land, agricultural crops, and livestock production destroyed, according to preliminary data from the GNR.
“This working meeting was promoted by the Ministries of Economy and Territorial Cohesion and the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea, in an encounter attended by ministers Manuel Castro Almeida and José Manuel Fernandes, as well as several secretaries of state, aiming to discuss the impacts of the forest fires that recently devastated the northern region,” José Meneses explained to the Lusa agency.
Meneses found the lack of invitation unacceptable but added that his municipality will continue to fight for its farmers, producers, and population.
“I invite the Government to visit Torre de Moncorvo to see firsthand the real extent of the damage caused by the fires,” stated José Meneses.
According to the mayor from the south of the Bragança district, the municipality of Torre de Moncorvo will continue to work in coordination with local and regional entities, but demands proper attention from the Government so that support measures address the extent of the damages suffered in this territory in a fair and proportional manner.
The Ministry of Economy and Territorial Cohesion today received about five thousand requests for assistance, mainly from northern town halls, following the rural fires of recent weeks.
At the end of a meeting with mayors from the North and also the Center, held this morning in Sernancelhe, Castro Almeida indicated a number that multiplies by five the thousand requests registered in 2024.
Without wanting to specify, as evaluations on the ground are still being carried out, the minister agreed to the possibility that damages could exceed 30 million euros when questioned by the media.
He noted that not only is the number of farmers “significantly higher” than in 2024, but “also the involved volume is considerably larger.”
Castro Almeida added that “next week, the documents will be available for people to submit their applications” in their municipalities of residence, which then forward them to the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Norte).
