A member the Vila Verde Volunteer Bombeiros, Braga, was shot with a shotgun when fighting a large fire caused by an uncontrolled burning.
The incident occurred early on Friday when firefighters fought a forest fire with three active fronts, which was plowing in the town of Bemposta, in the parish of Aboim da Nóbrega, Vila Verde county, following a controlled burning which became out of control.
João Gonçalves, a 27-year-old single, residing in Portela das Cabras, Vila Verde, was hit in the right leg by shrapnel from a shotgun as he prepared to fight the fire.
He was transported to the Hospital of Braga.
“There are no words to try to justify how someone in a cowardly way decides to shoot someone … who is there to help,” said Luis Morais, commander of the Vila Verde Volunteer Firefighters, at the Hospital door of Braga. “Nobody understands this,” he said.
“Only in April – and it rained with some intensity – I have 25 occurrences in my county caused by uncontrolled fires,” added the commander of the Volunteer Firefighters of Vila Verde. “The legislation is clear: making a burn requires a license, lacks safety standards, lacks the means of self-protection and must be done in the morning,” said Luís Morais.
So far there are still no detainees due to this shotgun incident, but the Homicide Brigade of the Judicial Police of Braga is already interviewing several people from the area, and soldiers from the GNR of Vila Verde and the Detachment of Intervention of the Command of the GNR of Braga have been mobilized.
- New Zealand Volcano latest
- Fewer road deaths but more accidents and serious injuries compared to 2018
- Man dies after being hit by machine in Madeira
- Doctors in Spain revive British woman after six-hour cardiac arrest
- MADEIRA – FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS DUE TO HIGH WINDS
- Government says over 90% of municipalities have forest fire protection plans
- London attack shows EU-UK cooperation ‘essential
- Fires: Castelo Branco district without re-ignitions or false alarms in 2019
- PORTUGAL TO CO-CHAIR MINISTERIAL COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
- Municipalities claim changes in Civil Protection result in better articulation
- Portugal is the best destination in the world and wins 13 tourism ‘Oscars’
- Porto – PSP confirms detention of a British national and identification of 16 Belgians after clashes that caused “several injured
- Lisbon – PSP crackdown of pickpockets – 305 detained so far this year
- European Commission forcing Portugal to change taxes on imported used cars
- Deco warns: choose from Amazon, Booking, or TripAdvisor reviews? May be false