A fire that broke out on Wednesday in the highlands of Ribeira Brava in Madeira continues to rage with two active fronts, the Regional Civil Protection Service said on Thursday afternoon, adding that no homes were in danger.
According to the Civil Protection, ground resources have been reinforced, while the air force, which was carrying out the unloading on Wednesday and today, “was forced to interrupt its mission for a moment due to the strong winds felt in the area, which made any water discharge impossible.”
At the scene are mixed firefighters from Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol, volunteer firefighters from Madeira and volunteer firefighters from Camara de Lobos, with a total of 21 operational personnel and seven vehicles.
According to the Civil Defense, there are also two forest police officers and two forest sappers.
“We emphasize that the fire broke out in a forest area and does not pose a danger to residential areas,” the statement also says.
Civil Protection received an alert about the fire at 9:48 a.m. Wednesday through the Regional Assistance Operations Command’s integrated communications center.
The fire started on an inaccessible slope in the parish of Serra de Agua and spread on Thursday night to the areas of Espigão and Trompica in the upper areas of the municipality of Ribeira Brava.
The northern and southern coasts of Madeira, as well as mountainous areas, are under a yellow warning today due to hot weather, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
The warning for the region’s mountainous areas and southern coast will be downgraded to orange from Friday and to the second most severe on a three-point scale by Sunday.
The Funchal Port Authority has also issued a strong wind warning today until 6pm on Friday, “fresh to very cool, sometimes strong”.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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