The regional coordinator of the ADN Party – National Democratic Alternative asks the Municipal Council of Machico to reconsider the decision to maintain the traditional burning of the Torches, which will take place this weekend, in that location, due to the fires that are ravaging the western part of Madeira.
“We run the risk that if there are still active fires, there will be firefighters on standby to prevent ‘Flachos’, to the detriment of the useful and necessary fight against flames in other parts of the island”, warns Miguel Pita, quoted in a press release.
It was “perplexingly” that ADN learned of the decision of the Machico City Council to maintain the traditional event scheduled for August 24th. This decision the party considers “incomprehensible”, after “a long week of fires in RAM”.
“The ADN considers that it would be more sensible and prudent to postpone this event for at least a week, in the hope that more favourable weather conditions will be available, as there is currently an imminent risk of rekindling in various areas of our island of Madeira”, argues Miguel Pita.
The ADN emphasizes that it is “not against this or any other traditional and secular event”, but that it only appeals to “common sense and prudence, as well as respect for all the people who lost desperate nights, watching the fire close to their homes, destroying our natural heritage and putting human lives at risk”.
On the other hand, he asks for “consideration” for the firefighters themselves who “have been fighting fires for days on end and now have to be on standby on Saturday watching people literally setting fire to the slopes of the Machico valley”.
“The DNA believes that this is not the time to take any more unnecessary risks, after having witnessed the destruction of thousands of hectares of forest, which everything indicates began with another tradition, which spread like wildfire to several locations in the RAM”, concludes Miguel Pita.