The wildfire on Madeira has now engulfed an area of at least 5,500 hectares. This was reported by the state broadcaster RTP, citing the Copernicus Earth observation program. Around 200 people had to temporarily leave their homes due to the risk of smoke inhalation but have since been able to return. So far, no injuries or damage to buildings have been reported.
The fire has been burning since August 14th in the center of the Atlantic island, which belongs to Portugal. According to civil protection, 125 firefighters and civil defense personnel are battling the flames. Meanwhile, two Canadair firefighting aircraft from Spain have arrived on the smaller neighboring island of Porto Santo. The day before, Portugal had requested assistance under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
World Heritage site likely not yet threatened
Environmentalists reported that the flames had already reached a Unesco World Heritage-listed laurel forest. However, regional governor Miguel Albuquerque contradicted this claim, assuring that the fire had not reached the protected area.
Firefighting efforts have been hampered by strong winds and high temperatures. According to official reports, three active fronts were recently spreading along a difficult-to-access mountain range. The primary goal of the emergency services is to prevent the fire from reaching the laurel forest and a hydroelectric power plant in the Pico Ruivo area. However, Albuquerque assured that people and residential areas are not at risk.
“Alarmist rhetoric”
The politician rejected accusations from Portuguese media that he underestimated the fire and did not interrupt his vacation quickly enough. Albuquerque, quoted by the state broadcaster RTP, stated that the “alarmist rhetoric” must stop. All summer festivals planned for the coming days on the island, which has about 250,000 inhabitants, will take place as scheduled.
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