Canadair planes already unloading cargo in central mountain range during Madeira fire

Two Canadair planes, requested by the Portuguese government from the European Union, have already dropped water on the fire raging in the central mountain range of Madeira this Thursday, and the operation is expected to last until nightfall.

“This is a way that we understand is effective at this point, to try to suppress this fire front here, and if we manage to suppress this fire front, the issue will be resolved,” said the president of the regional government (PSD), Miguel Albuquerque, shortly after the first evictions, around 5:30 p.m.

Albuquerque spoke to reporters in Pico do Areiro, in the mountains overlooking Funchal, in front of the fire line that runs down the slope to Pico Ruivo, the highest point on Madeira Island at 1,862 metres.

“These two Canadairs dropped about seven tons of water. Our helicopter carries less than a thousand liters, so there will be seven helicopter flights,” he stressed, expressing confidence that the fire could be extinguished if the operation was carried out. The operation continued in the same vein on Thursday and Friday.

The helicopter on the archipelago is the only air resource the region has available to fight fires on a permanent basis and has been in operation since 2018.

Although Canadair planes were available eight days after the fires began (and began flying this Thursday, the ninth day), under the European Civil Protection Mechanism, Miguel Albuquerque believes that “the strategy was not long in coming.”

“We adopt this strategy when there is an opportunity to adopt a strategy, that is, Canadair can intervene – and this is the first time they have intervened in Madeira – in a situation where there are no urban agglomerations, no agriculture. […] and the only chance we have [essa] The intervention occurred when the fire came out of Pico do Cardo [no Curral das Freiras] to the central mountain range,” he explained.

The fire on the island of Madeira broke out on August 14 in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava and gradually spread to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and, via Pico Ruiva, Santana.

Authorities ordered about 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 those in Fajã das Galinhas, in Camara de Lobos.

Fighting the blaze is being made difficult by wind and high temperatures, but no damage to homes or important infrastructure has been reported.

Some firefighters were treated for exhaustion or minor injuries without further injury.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, the area of ​​burnt areas exceeds 4,930 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.