Fire in Ponta do Sol to be extinguished soon

The fire that broke out 11 days ago in Madeira is still a “hot spot” in the Lombada area, in the municipality of Ponta do Sol, the Civil Protection reported on Saturday, adding that the fire should be extinguished as soon as possible.

“There is a hot spot that is a little active and we hope – note, I am not saying this will happen – that within an hour, an hour and a half, we will be able to put an end to it,” the president told the Regional Civil Protection Service’s news agency Lusa António Nunes in a contact established around 4:15 p.m.

“This is an active point, so not everything is completely under control,” he stressed.

António Nunes also said the fire did not pose a threat to homes.

“It’s at a safe distance, there is no danger to houses,” he assured.

According to the President of Civil Defense, the fire is being extinguished only by emergency means, since it is occurring in an area located under high-voltage cables, which does not allow the use of aircraft.

“They [a equipa que opera o helicóptero] they can’t go there, and also because we believe that the available pedestrian resources are sufficient to put an end to this within an hour,” said António Nunes.

Speaking to Lusa, Ponta do Sol Mayor Célia Pessegueiro also confirmed that the area in Lombada is “always burning,” although “sometimes without visible flames,” and explained that the fire is on a slope with houses at the top.

At a press conference on the fire situation this morning, the president of the regional government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, said the fire fronts had been “significantly reduced” or “absent”, but warned that a fire remained “a hotbed of potential resurgence” in Ponta do Sol, in the west of the island.

The rural fire on the island of Madeira broke out on August 14 in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava, gradually spreading to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Santana. On Saturday morning, on the 11th day, the regional civil protection service reported that the fire was under control and that operators remained on the ground to deal with the consequences, controlling some hot spots.

Over the past few days, authorities have ordered nearly 200 people to leave their homes as a precaution and have set up community reception centres, but many residents have returned home.

Firefighting efforts were hampered by wind and high temperatures, but there were no reports of injuries or destruction of homes or important public infrastructure, according to the regional government, although some small-scale agricultural production and forested areas were damaged.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, the area of ​​burnt areas exceeds 5,045 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.