The fire in Madeira has spread along both banks of the Ponta do Sol River.

The fire that has been raging on the island of Madeira since last week continues to spread in Ponta do Sol, on both banks of the river, but the municipality has ruled out any risk to homes for now.

“It works on both sides, in the same places where it was, always making more progress,” and the firefighters “always manage to contain it within certain limits,” which is “the biggest problem,” explained the president of Ponta do Sol Chamber, Célia Pessegueiro, to Luce.

The Socialist mayor, who spoke at 6:45 p.m. summing up the rural fire that has been raging for nine days on the island of Madeira and entered the municipality of Ponta do Sol on Sunday, said that the various teams on the ground had managed to “contain it in an area that allows combat.”

“This allows the fighting to be carried out in an area close to Camino Real, for example, or Caminho da Quinta, in the case of Lombada. Then everything else burns, because in this way no other kind of fighting is possible, there are areas that are inaccessible,” it is described.

In these areas, areas without paths or paddocks, “there is no other way,” because “the fire itself sometimes spreads to other areas that are already burning,” and you have to “do the rest of the way” and die there,” noted Celia Pessegueiro.

This is the case with the situation created by the re-ignition on the Rabasas side, while in the case of Lombada, the increase in temperature during the day means that in areas with more flammable material the flames are again “gaining momentum”.

“The fire was never extinguished on either side. In the end, it was the same fire,” he said, explaining that it had spread across two slopes of the river, in a broad front that, as it moved south, began to burn on both sides.

“Keep plowing, and that means we have another night and another day ahead of us,” the mayor predicted.

In the early morning hours, 19 firefighters from various corporations of the Autonomous Region of Madeira were in Ponta do Sol; seven operatives from a special unit made up of the PNR and Civil Protection; and 12 logistical support elements.

“In Ponta do Sol, there is a small area of ​​Laurissilva. It is the only municipality in the south where there is a small area of ​​Laurissilva, which is tiny compared to the one in the north of the island, and which is in the Rabasas area, the one where it has already burned,” admitted Célia Pessegueiro, considering, however, that an exact understanding of whether it has burned or not in this area is work “for later.”

The rural 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 through Pico Ruivo 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.