Party planners in Marinhais have been hauled over the coals for their decision to ‘bring forwards’ midnight fireworks by half an hour in order to circumvent the ban on pyrotechnics of any kind that kicked in on Saturday at midnight.
Locals were outraged when the “Commissão de Festas de Marinhais” posted their announcement on Saturday afternoon, shortly after the announcement by the Ministry of Interior Administration that the whole country was entering a state of alert – and that everyone needed to act responsibly.
“The next few days will be very difficult”, Maria Lúcia Amaral told the country.
Her message was ‘water of the duck’s back’ of the Commissão de Festas de Marinhais – Marinhais being a parish in one of the districts (Santarém) known for the heat suffered through the summer.
The entity quickly took to Facebook to tell people that fireworks would be half an hour early… and, surprise, surprise, five fires were reported as burning debris fell to the parched land below.
Fortunately, Salvaterra da Magos firefighters were primed, and close to hand. But considering the country is fighting fires left, right and centre, these five outbreaks constituted a complete ‘waste of resources’.
Amazingly, however, the Commissão de Festas de Marinhais wasn’t the only miscreant of the night: three other municipalities did the same, although with less dramatic consequences.
SIC Notícias reports that the borough of Mirandela brought forward its fireworks display for Saturday by half an hour (explaining that their party brought thousands of people together, and invested over €100,000 on fireworks); Montalegre decided to let off its planned fireworks at 10.30pm, and in Guimarães, the Festas da Cidade e Gualterianas was re-scheduled for 11.30pm.
Thus, anyone who wonders at a government banning fireworks in August, in a country known for summer wildfires, can now understand why this was necessary: no matter the entreaties for civic responsibility, when it comes to a party, everyone seems to think they are entitled to fireworks… Well, almost everyone: there was one party (Festas de Meadela, in Viana do Castelo) where organisers did think of trying to circumvent the ban by bringing fireworks forwards but then, at the 11th hour, relented, and decided perhaps it was all much too risky.
Source material: SIC/ Facebook
