Portugal will send between 100 and 120 elements of various Civil Protection agents to help Canada in the fight against the intense forest fires in the country, revealed today the Minister of Internal Administration.
Speaking to journalists, José Luís Carneiro said that this force is made up of members of the national Civil Protection structure, the Special Civil Protection Force, firefighters, the Emergency Protection and Relief Unit (UEPC) of the GNR, the INEM and forest sappers. of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
“The force is ready to be projected. We are just waiting for the terms in which Canada proposes to address air transport. As soon as that issue is defined, this force will be sent,” the minister said.
The minister stressed that Portugal evaluated the forecast weather conditions for the next few days with a view to deciding whether to send these media to Canada.
“According to the IPMA, for the next few days and during the next week the forecasts allow us to release these resources,” he stressed.
The minister also said that there is still no date for the departure of these elements to Canada, which could be in the next few hours or days, when all the administrative conditions are completed.
This Portuguese force will be sent to Canada under the European Union (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism, along with firefighters from France and Spain.
Canada was battling more than 400 active fires on Tuesday, with the most in the province of Quebec.
The country registered 2,293 forest fires this year and around 3.8 million hectares burned, above the average of the last decades.
Source: TSF
