"The European [civil protection] mechanism is activated as a last resort. Right now, in Vila Real, there are nine aerial resources fighting the fire, and we have a team of 72 aerial resources. Last week, a critical week, we never had all our aerial resources engaged," said Rui Rocha in an interview with SIC Notícias.

The Secretary of State also emphasized that aerial resources are often unable to respond due to weather conditions and smoke, and this situation was observed in the fires in Ponte da Barca and Arouca.

"So far, it has not been necessary to activate the European mechanism. If it becomes necessary, we will certainly do so," he said, emphasizing that the situation "is similar in Spain, France, Italy, and Greece."

Rui Rocha also emphasized that "the European mechanism is not a pool of air resources available" for each country to draw upon.

On Sunday, the Secretary General of the Socialist Party and former Minister of Internal Affairs, José Luís Carneiro, said that the government should have activated cooperation mechanisms with the European Union to pre-position air resources to fight fires.

The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism helps EU and third-party countries respond to emergencies such as natural disasters, health crises, or fires, and countries can request assistance from this mechanism whenever an emergency overwhelms their response capabilities.

When asked about criticism from some mayors about a lack of resources, Rui Rocha said he was also a mayor, believing that "for those on the ground in dire straits and needing to respond to a dramatic situation, all resources are scarce."

The Secretary of State also stated that the firefighting resources deployed were those deemed "adequate" by the operational command.

Mainland Portugal has been on high alert since Sunday and until Thursday due to the high risk of fires.