In a statement, the police force reports that, between 2019 and 2023, in the districts where there was a "higher number of breaches of forest land fuel management", the following stand out "in decreasing order" Santarém, Castelo Branco, Braga, Coimbra and Aveiro.

In the "districts where there is a lower record of breaches of forest land fuel management, in the same period, the districts of Évora, Bragança, Portalegre, Viana do Castelo and Beja stand out", added the GNR.

"From 2019 to 14 April 2024, 4,831 people were identified and 404 suspects were arrested for forest fire", reads the note.

The GNR considers that, after identifying the causes of the fires, "the use of fire is the greatest concern" and, taking into account that "only burns and controlled burns account for more than 35% of fire occurrences in recent years", everyone should "make an effort to reduce fuel using other alternative methods", such as "incorporation into the soil and production of biomass, thereby reducing the risk of generating occurrences".

The GNR has assumed as a strategic priority the protection of people and property, within the scope of rural fires, "based on preventive action and increased patrolling in forest areas".

Within the scope of the Integrated Management System for Rural Fires (SGIFR), the police force employs military and forest rangers from the Nature and Environment Protection Service (SEPNA) and the Emergency Protection and Relief Unit (UEPS).

In this sense, between 2019 and 2023, the GNR accounted for "35,097 awareness-raising actions and thus reaching 428,389 people", states the note.

In terms of contraventions, from 2019 to 2023, the GNR registered 11,786 occurrences for lack of cleaning of forest land, 3,419 burns and 1,359 controlled burns, while this year the inspection of land cleaning only starts on 1 May and 28 burns and 11 controlled burns have already been detected.

As a result of awareness-raising actions up to the investigation of the causes of forest fires, the GNR noted that, in light of some change in behaviour on the part of the general population, 2023 "reflected the lowest value in number of fires (minus 46% of rural fires) and the third lowest value of burnt area (minus 72%)".

In relation to "victims directly related to fires", the statement states that "2023 was also an odd year, with zero fatalities, reflecting one of the ultimate objectives of the system, which is the safeguarding and protection of human lives".

"The downward trend in victims since 2017 proves the greater awareness of the Portuguese about this issue of fires", it stressed.

The GNR stressed that "burns and controlled burns are the main causes of fires in Portugal" and that the "deadline for fuel management is 30 April".

Also Read: Detained for burn that got out of control and caused fire in Penamacor (Portuguese version)