The Judicial Police (PJ) is investigating “from the very beginning” the cause of the forest fire that broke out on Wednesday in the municipality of Ribeira Brava in Madeira and spread to other municipalities, a police source said.
“We are investigating and we have been investigating from the very beginning when we arrived at the scene,” he told Luse.
While declining to provide details, the source only said that Madeira’s Criminal Investigation Department “is carrying out investigative actions that are normal in such situations.”
The rural fire broke out on Wednesday in the Ribeira Brava mountains, spreading to the neighbouring municipality of Camara de Lobos the following day and to the municipality of Ponta do Sol via Paul da Serra over the weekend.
By Sunday, a total of 160 people had to be evicted from their homes as a precaution and transported to public facilities, but many residents have already returned or are returning home.
Firefighting efforts were made more difficult by calming winds and high temperatures, but there were no reports of injuries or damage to homes or critical infrastructure.
This Monday, two fronts continue to operate in the municipalities of Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Brava, mobilizing about two hundred fighters (including from the mainland and the Azores) and several dozen vehicles, in addition to the archipelago’s air transport.
Regional government president Miguel Albuquerque says it was arson, but the cause has not yet been revealed.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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