According to Civil Protection, the fire that burned on Tuesday in Curral das Freiras in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos has been declared extinguished, while the fire in Pico Ruivo was the one that was most worrying for operators this Wednesday at 9 am.
In a statement detailing the situation at the time, the Regional Civil Protection Service (SRPC) said teams remained in Curral das Freiras to carry out active surveillance and prevent re-ignitions.
During the week-long rural fire, Curral das Freiras had moments of great concern as the flames approached homes. On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the municipality, the fire in the area was very active, descending the slope towards a residential area, and a bedridden man had to be evacuated.
“The most worrisome focus is currently in the central mountain range between the highlands of Curral das Freiras and Pico Ruivo, where the fire is spreading increasingly across difficult-to-reach areas, making it difficult to control the fire,” the SRPC said in a note.
The situation in Pico Ruivo was already reported to Lusa this Wednesday early in the morning by the president of the SRPC, António Nunes, who said that “the National Directorate of Emergencies and Civil Protection has been asked to reinforce the personnel that has arrived from the continent”. His arrival is scheduled for this Wednesday.
The region’s air resources were also deployed to fight the blaze in Pico Ruivo, in the municipality of Santana, the fourth municipality affected by the fire.
In addition to the fire brigade, elements of the Regional Assistance Operations Command, the Institute of Forestry and Nature Conservation, GNR and PSP continue to provide ongoing support to the operations.
According to the Civil Protection, the fire, which started on August 14, has two outbreaks this morning – one in the highlands of Ponta do Sol (Lombada) and the other in the central Cordillera (between the highlands of Curral das Freiras and Pico Ruivo).
At 9am, there were more than 30 vehicles and more than 100 emergency personnel on site, including members of the Special Civil Protection Force and firefighters from the Azores.
Three firefighters, two from the Azores mainland and one from the mainland, had to be treated for exhaustion on Tuesday. One was treated at the scene, while the other two were taken to the Nélio Mendonça Hospital in Funchal, where they were treated and released a few hours later.
The Azores firefighter was previously taken to hospital due to exhaustion and was released shortly afterwards.
The rural fire in Madeira broke out a week ago, on August 14, in the Ribeira Brava mountains, spreading on Thursday to the municipality of Camara de Lobos and over the weekend to the municipality of Ponta do Sol.
During these eight days, authorities ordered almost 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 Fajã das Galinhas in Câmara de Lobos and Furna in Ribeira Brava.
The fight against the fire was complicated by the dying wind and high temperatures, but there was no evidence of destruction of houses or vital infrastructure.
Data from the European Forest Fire Information System, cited by the president of the Regional Civil Protection Service, António Nunes, indicates 4,392 hectares of burnt area as of 12 noon on Tuesday.
The Judicial Police is investigating the cause of the fire, but the President of the Executive Power of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, claims it was arson.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.