A blaze in Madeira Island poses a risk of engulfing a safeguarded pine woodland.
A blaze ripping through Madeira, Portugal's beloved tourist island, has been raging for a week now. Antonio Nunes, the regional civil protection president, voiced his concerns to Portuguese radio station RTP, stating that the fire is inching closer to a UNESCO-protected laurel forest, despite the fact that the damage isn't substantial yet. On Wednesday, authorities announced the deployment of additional resources to contain the fire.
Over 100 firefighters are engulfed in the fight against the flames, battling on two separate fronts. Nunes revealed that an additional 45 firefighters, along with additional emergency responders, were set to join the efforts from the Portuguese mainland on Wednesday, in addition to the 76 reinforcements already dispatched.
Data from the Copernicus EU Earth observation program on X online service reported that a total of 4,392 hectares had gone up in flames by Tuesday.
The fiery winds that had been fueling the fire had, temporarily, disrupted operations at Funchal Airport. However, by Wednesday, flights were running as normal, according to the airport administration.
The fire sparked last Wednesday in Ribeira Brava's municipality and spread to Câmara de Lobos and Ponta do Sol, located on the southwest coast, nearby Funchal's capital. Around 200 residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to smoke concerns. Authorities confirmed no property damage or injuries, but some firefighters displayed signs of exhaustion.
The fire threatens to reach other UNESCO-protected sites if it continues its spread. Despite the efforts of multiple teams of firefighters and emergency responders, the source of the blaze remains undetermined.
