Former Fire Chief Denies Knowledge of Wildfire Profiteering in Parliament Probe

The former head of Portugal's National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told lawmakers he has no knowledge of any organized criminal enterprise tied to rural wildfires, testifying during a parliamentary inquiry that is examining whether economic interests may fuel the country's recurring inferno seasons.

André Fernandes, who led the ANEPC from December 2020 until his abrupt resignation in March 2025, faced nearly two hours of questioning from the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into Rural Fire Businesses and repeatedly denied witnessing evidence of profiteering schemes linked to Portugal's wildfire crisis. "I am unaware of any fire business," he stated, a refrain deputies heard multiple times as they pressed him on alleged connections between blazes and burned timber trafficking, real estate speculation, and equipment procurement kickbacks.

Why This Matters

• Parliamentary probe targets 2017–2025 wildfire seasons, examining whether public funds were misused and if cartels rigged aerial firefighting contracts.

• Former ANEPC chief claims no knowledge of alleged fire-for-profit schemes despite overseeing emergency response during some of Portugal's deadliest blazes.

• Structural reform debate intensifies around creating an autonomous national firefighting command, separate from the civil protection framework.

• Missing aerial assets in 2025 raise questions about operational transparency: 76 aircraft were contracted, but only 69–70 flew on average.

Allegations Under Parliamentary Scrutiny

The inquiry, launched at the initiative of the Chega party in November 2025, is examining nearly a decade of Portugal's fire management to test whether a "fire mafia" exists. Investigators are exploring multiple alleged profit channels: the trade in charred timber sold at rock-bottom prices, solar and wind farm installations on scorched forestland, and the rigging of contracts for firefighting planes and ground equipment.

Social Democratic Party deputy Sónia Fernandes asked the former commander directly whether he could confirm that any fire incident was "directly or indirectly associated with economic interests or activities benefiting something other than the public interest." His answer: he had never perceived such facts. When questioned about links between equipment procurement and financial gain, or whether wind and solar parks had been erected on land devastated by flames, Fernandes replied, "Factually, I do not know."

The committee has also heard from timber industry executives, former technical commission presidents, and firefighting association representatives. Gonçalo Almeida Simões of Biond – Forest Fibers from Portugal testified in April that burned wood, especially smaller-diameter logs, holds no industrial advantage and denied knowledge of criminal activity. Yet a 2021 law change eliminated the automatic 10-year construction ban on burned land, replacing it with municipal action plans and framework contracts—a shift critics say opened the door to speculative development.

Environmental groups including Quercus and Zero have flagged a rush of renewable energy projects on forested land, with roughly 10,000 hectares now occupied by solar and wind installations. Some projects have faced suspension—most notably a photovoltaic plant at Quinta da Torre Bela in Azambuja—after biodiversity and forest sector concerns surfaced. Fernandes, however, stated he had never observed renewable infrastructure being sited on recently burned terrain.

Structural Cracks in Portugal's Fire Response

Fernandes defended the Integrated Operations System for Protection and Relief against claims it generates dysfunction and resists coordination, insisting that civil protection "will always have a place in rural firefighting" within an integrated model. Yet experts who have appeared before the committee paint a less rosy picture. Domingos Xavier Viegas, director of the Centre for Forest Fire Studies, criticized the Integrated Agency for Rural Fire Management (AGIF) for separating civil protection from forestry services and failing to meet fuel-management targets in 2024. OECD reports from late 2025 and early 2026 documented coordination failures that delayed resource allocation and allowed fires to spread unchecked.

The former commander acknowledged that creating an autonomous national fire brigade command—a proposal now under discussion—requires careful legal structuring, given that 412 volunteer fire brigades operate under humanitarian associations. He noted that 90% of ANEPC staff come from fire brigade backgrounds and argued the agency should better leverage that expertise, though he stopped short of endorsing a full separation.

The March 2025 Exit and Unanswered Questions

Fernandes resigned on March 21, 2025, citing "personal reasons," though sources indicate he faced mounting pressure after the government appointed a new ANEPC president, José Manuel Moura, in January 2025. Interior Minister Margarida Blasco signed the exoneration order. In his testimony, Fernandes insisted his departure "had nothing to do with any disagreement with the government from a management standpoint," though his exit came just as the 2025 fire season approached—a year in which ignitions declined but burned area increased, according to testimony from João Pinto Guerreiro, who headed the independent technical commission after the catastrophic 2017 Pedrógão Grande fire.

The committee also probed why not all contracted aerial assets were deployed in 2025. Fernandes said 76 aircraft were under contract but media reports suggested only 69 to 70 flew on average. "That happens," he remarked, noting that during his tenure, too, some aircraft were occasionally inoperational. He emphasized that aerial units are crucial for initial attack but "do not extinguish fires on their own."

What This Means for Residents

For those living in rural and peri-urban areas vulnerable to wildfire, the inquiry's ongoing work could eventually reshape Portugal's firefighting architecture and regulatory oversight. Property owners should be aware that the 2021 repeal of the automatic 10-year construction ban on burned land remains in force, meaning municipal zoning decisions now carry significant weight for land development. Anyone considering real estate purchases in fire-prone zones should verify local action plans and zoning amendments, independent of any inquiry findings.

The committee's examination of renewable energy siting may also result in stricter environmental impact assessments for solar and wind projects, particularly on forested parcels, though this reflects broader policy debates rather than findings of wrongdoing specifically.

For firefighters and emergency personnel, the testimony underscores ongoing resource gaps. Fernandes called forest management and fuel-reduction programs Portugal's "Achilles' heel," echoing widespread consensus that prevention—clearing underbrush, thinning stands, creating firebreaks—remains chronically underfunded and behind schedule. Until those fundamentals improve, the country's dependence on aerial bombardment and volunteer brigades will persist, with all the operational friction that entails.

The Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry continues to schedule hearings through April, with former ANEPC president Carlos Manuel Mourato Nunes, who served from November 2017 to November 2020, expected to testify this week. Lawmakers are examining contracts, procurement records, and technical reports spanning eight years, with a mandate to deliver findings that could inform legislative changes before the next fire season begins in earnest this summer.