Pedro Ramos reiterates his refusal of external aid and assumes that “at this moment the Region’s resources are not completely exhausted”
“It is important to note that helicopters do not have the autonomy to make the trip from Lisbon to Funchal”, stressed the minister.
On the fourth day of fires in Madeira, a government official appeared on the ground. It was up to Pedro Ramos, Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, to explain why the President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, decided to refuse, yesterday, the help of resources made available by the Republic, a position that has generated a chorus of criticism from the opposition.
“At this moment, the refusal is justified”, reiterated the minister, questioned by journalists in Curral das Freiras, where one of the active fronts of the fire that broke out on Wednesday, in Serra de Água, in the neighboring municipality of Ribeira Brava, is taking place.
“We are satisfied, last year we were the ones who asked for it, we had the professional firefighters who were here to help us with the fires in Calheta. At this moment, the Region’s resources are not completely exhausted”, assured Pedro Ramos, who ensures that the executive has been monitoring the unfolding of events.
“We have 54 firefighters on the ground out of a total of 750 firefighters. We have 18 vehicles out of a total of over a hundred vehicles. It is important to note that fires are also occurring in Portugal and we are not going to be moving resources where they are needed”, declared the Secretary responsible for Civil Protection.
“We have been monitoring this fire since Wednesday, which has challenging characteristics. Not only is there strong wind, but humidity is also very low and temperatures are extremely high,” confirms Pedro Ramos.
He recalled that the fire started in inaccessible areas where only the helicopter could intervene and contain the spread of the flames.
On the other hand, he recalled the logistics required to transport aircraft from countries such as Portugal or Spain, explaining that they do not have their own autonomy. “It is important to note that helicopters do not have the autonomy to travel from Lisbon to Funchal. They have to come by boat in a container, like ours the first time it came here,” he explained