The fire in Madeira has reached Pico do Ruivo and 45 operators from the continent will step up the fight against the blaze.

The fire in Madeira has spread and reached Pico Ruivo on Tuesday evening, according to the regional civil protection, which has requested a new reinforcement of another 45 emergency personnel from the continent who are due to arrive in the region this Wednesday.

“The worst-case scenario we have at the moment is the one that results from the spread [fogo] in Curral das Freiras, which passed through the central mountain range of the region and reached Pico Ruivo. [no concelho de Santana]”This is a very difficult area. It is impossible to operate in this area due to the terrain conditions,” the president of the Regional Civil Protection Service told the Lusa agency.

According to António Nunes, operatives are trying to contain the spread to more problematic areas: 11 operatives are working on the scene, supported by five resources.

“In view of this unfavourable situation, the National Office of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection was asked [ANEPC] “We have a new addition of personnel coming from the continent, and today we are planning to receive another 45 servicemen,” he said.

According to António Nunes, the possibility of using helicopters on site will need to be assessed.

“The air force’s job at these altitudes is quite complex. It’s not something that can be done in a linear fashion. We need to assess and see if the pilots and the helicopter can do it because the winds at this altitude are very unstable and we don’t want to have another problem of losing a helicopter,” he said.

As for other areas of the island, according to António Nunes, in Serra de Água, in Ponta do Sol, the fire is developing favourably.

“We hope that this front can be closed today during the day. There are 64 operational personnel on site, supported by 16 resources. In Curral das Freiras, which was opened yesterday [terça-feira] “It was a big problem because of the houses, at the moment we don’t have any problems. We have prevention people who have laid firebreaks to prevent it from going down the slope and to protect the houses,” he said.

At around 08:00, 22 operators were on site, supported by seven land plots.

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.

Three firefighters have already been hospitalized for exhaustion and symptoms related to “malaise and sickness,” with no further injuries reported.

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.