The forest blaze in Madeira has been brought under control.
The massive forest blaze on Portugal's Atlantic island of Madeira has been tamed thanks to the intervention of two Spanish firefighting planes. As stated by Lusa, the national news agency, the regional head of civil protection, António Nunes, mentioned, "The fire is easing up. There are still some smoldering areas and potential minor flare-ups, but that's only to be expected."
The Spanish planes were dispatched following an EU request after Portugal sought aid from the union. Each of the two twin-engine propeller aircraft can transport about 6,000 liters of water. The arrival of fog, laden with high humidity, also proved beneficial.
The Spanish equipment was predominantly stationed in the mountains surrounding Pico Ruivo. Until then, Madeira's sole firefighting helicopter had failed in its attempts to subdue the flames. The Pico Ruivo stands as the island's highest peak, towering over 1,800 meters.
According to data from the Copernicus Earth observation program, the forest fire that ignited on August 14 has scorched approximately 5,000 hectares of nature. This is roughly equivalent to the size of the East Frisian island of Borkum.
No reports of injuries or property damage have been made public as of yet. However, environmental experts have expressed concern over the significant ecological damage caused by the loss of vegetation and wildlife.
As per Lusa, the Madeira Criminal Police are currently investigating the cause of the fire. Nevertheless, regional Madeira president Miguel Albuquerque has publicly accused arson.
The European Union played a role in providing aid when Portugal requested help to combat the forest fire. Spain dispatched two of their firefighting planes in response to the EU's request.
