Hundreds of firefighters were mobilized in Portugal to put out a fire burning in the southern part of the island of Madeira, a popular tourist destination in the Atlantic, where strong winds complicated their work.
The fire broke out on Wednesday in the isolated rural area of Ribeira Brava and spread to the neighboring municipality of Camara de Lobos. It now spans three fronts, according to local authorities.
#Madeira island on fire again 😑#Portugal pic.twitter.com/fgbGQXIP3f
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About 200 firefighters with 38 vehicles have been deployed on the island but the high temperatures, combined with low humidity and strong winds make it difficult to extinguish the fire. A helicopter that was making drops earlier had to stop after nightfall.
“I have no doubt it was due to arson”
“This fire, which is very dangerous, I have no doubt is due to arson, in an inaccessible area where aerial vehicles could not intervene,” the president of the Regional Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, told reporters.
No injuries were reported, but 160 people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution.
The entire coastline of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal with about 250,000 inhabitants, has been put on “orange alert” until tomorrow Monday due to high temperatures. According to the meteorological service IPMA, in the previous days the temperature on the island reached 30 degrees Celsius. Due to the strong winds, which fueled the fire, dozens of flights were cancelled.
Portugal sent 76 mainland firefighters to Madeira yesterday, while another 15 firefighters from the neighboring Azores archipelago are expected to arrive tonight.
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