Intense night of firefighting in Curral das Freiras, Madeira

The fire in Madeira was very active on Wednesday evening in Curral das Freiras, Camara de Lobos municipality, descending down the slope towards a residential area and a bedridden man was evacuated, the president of the municipality said.

“This night the fire was very active. We thought it would continue towards Pico do Areiro, but in fact it continued, but the wind changed and ended up opening an active line that went down the slope and returned to the residential area of ​​Pico Furão, which necessitated [retirar] lady in bed, as a precaution,” Leonel Silva told Lusa around 9 a.m.

“It was an intense night of fighting” at the site, the mayor said, with “firefighters positioned at the water line, on the trail north of the homes,” and the fire was “contained at that point.”

This morning, “residential areas are out of danger.”

“The fire is still active in the Lombo do Portais area, but it is a mountainous area, very steep, not residential or agricultural. It is a clear and solid forest area, but it remains very active and progressing,” he explained.

Leonel Silva added that “resources remain tied to the site” pending the possibility of intervention in a safe environment.

“At the moment, there is not a single residential area that is even close to danger, but we are ready to intervene as soon as it is convenient and possible,” he stressed.

There are five passenger vehicles, one heavy vehicle and several human resources on site.

“In this case, human resources will indeed be needed, but we have enough people for now. At this stage, we need to wait for progress,” he concluded.

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.