The municipality is being consumed “on a low heat”

"Today is the tenth day of this fire, the tenth day. How can such a small country (...) allow us to be smoldering for ten days?" said Alexandre Favaios this Monday afternoon, after the fire in Alvão, which had entered the containment phase, reignited.

In Outeiro, the village where the reactivated front hit, Alexandre Favaios stated that "today shows that we were right. In fact, we've been hearing for a long time that this situation was under control."

"It's time for ANEPC, the National Coordination, to say something. It's time to listen to the minister, who told the country that we were all prepared and that the resources were sufficient, but today we realize that, after all, that wasn't the case. It's time for the Prime Minister to say something to this population, which is still reeling from the shock we're experiencing."

On the ground, according to Alexandre Favaios, the operators are doing an “excellent job”, but he recalled that during the early hours of last night the fire entered the resolution phase and, however, “the resolution that is verified is this”.

"What went wrong? Someone needs to tell our people that we are not the ones with the expertise to fight this fire; everything requested of the municipality is available. We have clearly committed everything we can to resolving this situation. Unfortunately, what we see, and I reiterate, is that we are being slowly smoldered," the mayor stated.

When asked whether there is a lack of resources on the ground, the mayor said that "we don't need to be experts in firefighting to understand that the resources on the ground are clearly insufficient."

And when asked whether there is a problem with the coordination of resources, he said that this is a matter on which, at this time, he will not make any comment.

"What we're realizing is that the men are on the ground, the operatives have done their best, someone has to actually say what went wrong," he stressed.

The next night will also be one of “a lot of work”, highlighting that the priority “is people’s homes and lives”.

On Sunday, the fire reached three second homes and some abandoned houses, as well as warehouses and outbuildings, but, according to Alexandre Favaios, “the lungs of the municipality are dying.”

“The impact that will be left on our territory will certainly last for many, many, many decades,” he stressed.

Assessing the damage and the burned area will be a task that will be completed after the fire is contained. As of Wednesday, approximately 3,000 homes had burned in Vila Real and Mondim de Basto.

"Right now, the priority is to continue doing this—to help, to appeal, to insist, to complain, because that's our obligation right now, too. We must also tell those who have the power to effectively put an end to this situation to do so. They must also assume their responsibility, be on the ground, and understand what these people are going through," he emphasized.