The first phase of reinforcing means of fighting rural fires has begun, at a time when Civil Protection is once again warning of the need to clear land before the start of summer.
The Government admits extending the deadlines for cleaning land. The Secretary of State for Civil Protection recognizes the difficulty for owners in fulfilling the task.
The lack of fuel management continues to be one of the country’s biggest problems.
Between January 1st and April 30th, the GNR identified more than 8,500 plots of land to be cleared. The Leiria district, affected by storms at the beginning of the year, is the one that records the highest number of incidents: more than 1,900.
The Government guarantees that there will be special attention to the days of greatest risk, with reinforcement of the capacity to mobilize means and resources.
Since January, more than two thousand fire incidents have been recorded, most in cerrado areas, but also in forest settlements and agricultural fields. The burned area already exceeds nine thousand hectares. The data are from ICNF.
At the threshold of the most critical season, authorities insist on the need to reduce the number of ignitions and draw attention to risky behavior.
