Madeira under yellow heat warning until Thursday

The yellow alert for high temperatures in the Madeira Islands, where a rural fire has been raging for a week, was extended this Wednesday until 18:00 Thursday, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) said.

The warning applies to the northern and southern coasts, as well as mountainous areas and the island of Porto Santo, according to information available on the IPMA online page.

A yellow warning, the least serious, is issued by IPMA whenever a risk situation arises for certain activities depending on the meteorological situation.

The previous yellow alert for four regions of the Madeira Islands, issued by the institute, was in force until midnight this Wednesday.

Also, according to the IPMA website, on Thursday, four areas of the Madeira archipelago will be at “very high” risk of fire, six at “high” risk, including the island of Porto Santo, and four at “moderate” risk.

On the same day, IPMA forecasts partly cloudy skies on both islands of the archipelago, with a maximum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius in Porto Santo, with moderate winds from the north-east, and 27 degrees Celsius in Funchal, with light winds from the south-north-east.

The rural fire on the island of Madeira broke out on August 14 in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava and gradually spread to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and through Pico Ruivo Santana.

Fighting the blaze is being made difficult by wind and high temperatures, but no damage to homes or important infrastructure has been reported.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, the area of ​​burnt areas exceeds 4,930 hectares.

The Judicial Police are investigating the cause of the fire, but the President of the Executive Power of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, said it was arson.