The Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced the reactivation, starting on Wednesday, of 72 watch stations of the GNR and the extension of the contracts of the aerial resources until the end of October due to the fires.

In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) said that the primary network of watch stations of the GNR was re-activated, with the 72 stations in the network being operational between Wednesday and October 31.

In the area of ​​combat, the MAI determined the extension of air transport contracts until the end of October, with two heavy airplanes, two medium-sized aircradft and eight medium helicopters available, in addition to the state’s own resources, a fleet composed of three light helicopters and three heavy.

The Government announces these measures after reports that according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs they say that “it will not have taken care of the means of surveillance, detection and combat necessary to the meteorological framework of the last days , conducive to the propagation of forest fires”.

The GNR, the entity that manages these lookout posts, said that since October 1 ,the country had not active any of the 236 stations.

The GNR underlined that it had complied with the provisions of the National Operational Directive, in which the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) and the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) plan the annual means of fighting the fires.

Official GNR source explained that, as in other years, the stations were closed on that day (30^th September), with the end of the most critical stage of alert – Charlie phase – due to the end of the term contract with the workers who were doing this surveillance.