Recalling the great fire that ravaged Monchique in 2018, exactly one year after it started, to think about how to avoid tragedies in the future, is the objective of a public hearing that the newly created association Monchique Alerta – Serra free from fire will promote on Saturday, 3rd of August, at 10:30 am, at Restaurante Fonte dos Chorões, in the heart of this mountain village.
The session "in memory of the biggest and most catastrophic forest fire recorded in 2018, which we hope will never be repeated" will be attended by Domingos Xavier Viegas, professor at the University of Coimbra and member of the Independent Technical Observatory of forest fires at Assembly of the Republic, as well as with Filipe Duarte, president of the association that organizes the initiative.
According to Monchique Alerta, the objective of this initiative is “to remember the environmental disaster caused by the forest fire that we suffered. It will be a day in memory of the victims, in which we remember the losses we suffered in fire, smoke and ash, a day to rethink how we can minimize the greenhouse effect».
The event's organizers will start by opening a photographic exhibition about the fire. On the other hand, "disaster witnesses and renowned experts in fires" will be heard, in order to try to answer a question: "How can we, in the future, prevent forest fires?".
The public hearing will also serve to try to understand "what went wrong before/during/after the fire" and to what extent one can realistically advance with the measures for the future that are suggested, even the most utopian ones, " taking into account existing limitations'.
The initiative will end at 13:32 pm with the fulfillment of a minute of silence.
“We would like to invite the entire population to this public debate. We would be very pleased if we could bring together possible solutions and measures to be taken in Monchique, and in Portugal, so that environmental catastrophes such as the fires that have plagued the country can, in the future, be minimized and avoided», concluded Monchique Alerta.
On Saturday, there will be a lunch with the protagonists of this public hearing, at a cost of 9,5 euros. Those interested in participating should reserve a seat until Thursday, the 1st, by calling 926 600 099 or by emailing [email protected].
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