Canadair planes requested by Portugal from the EU will arrive in Madeira this Thursday

Two Canadair firefighting aircraft requested by the Portuguese government from the European Union (EU) as part of the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism will arrive in Madeira this Thursday, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management said.

“In response to Portugal’s request for assistance in fighting the severe forest fires in Madeira since yesterday [quarta-feira] “We are coordinating the dispatch of two firefighting aircraft from the EU’s strategic reserve in Spain tonight,” EU Commissioner Janez Lenarcic said in a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

“The planes will arrive in Madeira today,” the person in charge said.

The news comes a day after the government announced it would activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which holds a strategic reserve of resources, to allow two Canadair firefighting aircraft to be sent to help tackle the fire, which has been burning for eight days in Madeira.

The 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, via Pico Ruiva, Santana.

Authorities ordered about 200 people to leave their homes as a precaution and set up community reception centres, but many residents have already returned, with the exception of those in Fajã das Galinhas, in Camara de Lobos.

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

Some firefighters were treated for exhaustion or minor injuries without further injury.

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.