The fire that broke out on Wednesday morning in the municipality of Ribeira Brava in Madeira, in an area difficult to access, continues to rage this Thursday, mobilizing 16 firefighters, four vehicles and the Civil Protection Air Force.
A source from the Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol mixed firefighters told Lusa that 11 members of this humanitarian association are on the scene, supported by three vehicles and a helicopter assigned to the Regional Civil Protection Service.
A vehicle and five members of the Madeira Volunteer Fire Brigade are also battling the fire.
Civil Protection received the alert at 9:48 a.m. Wednesday through the Regional Assistance Operations Command’s integrated communications center.
The fire started on an inaccessible slope in the parish of Serra de Água and has since spread to the areas of Espigão and Trompica in the upper areas of the municipality of Ribeira Brava.
A civil defence source told Lusa on Thursday that the fire did not pose a risk to the houses.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the northern and southern coasts of Madeira, as well as the mountainous areas, are under a yellow warning this Thursday due to hot weather.
From Friday, the warning level for the region’s highlands and southern coast will worsen to orange, the second-most severe.