Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patricia Gaspar, addressed the challenging situation, stating, “We know it’s been a complicated and difficult night. Several fires are still active.” As she spoke, a team was preparing to depart for Madeira, a major Portuguese tourist destination situated off the coast of Morocco.
The despatched team comprises 56 firefighters, six members of the emergency services command, and four emergency doctors.
The fires ravaged large areas of two neighbouring municipalities on the island’s west coast, namely Calheta and Porto Moniz. These fires have been particularly challenging to control due to their remote locations and the abnormally high temperatures, which still exceeded 30 degrees Celsius on Friday.
In response to the ongoing emergency, authorities have placed the entire coastline of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal with a population of around 250,000 and a popular tourist destination, on an orange alert – the second-highest level – extending until Saturday.
Four individuals, including a firefighter, were hospitalised for minor injuries and smoke inhalation, as confirmed by Pedro Ramos, the regional government representative overseeing health and civil protection services.
By Wednesday evening, more than a hundred tourists had been temporarily evacuated from their accommodations. On Friday, 13 holidaymakers, aged between 32 and 72, had to be rescued while hiking in the island’s hills. They had sought refuge in a cave as they found themselves trapped by the encroaching flames.
All five French nationals, five Germans, two Swiss nationals, and one American were successfully rescued, although one of the French nationals was taken to hospital for observation, as disclosed by Ramos during a press conference.
On Friday, local residents were faced with a bleak sight, characterised by extensive damage to the lush vegetation that typically adorns the landscape. Smoke continued to emanate from the smouldering remnants of trees and utility poles.
Around thirty people who had been displaced awaited permission to return to their homes, although local authorities remained unable to provide an estimate of the number of homes that had been destroyed or damaged.
Before the arrival of reinforcements despatched from Lisbon, nearly 130 firefighters were mobilised to tackle the three active fires on Friday.
The most severe of these fires broke out on Wednesday in the municipality of Calheta, located on the western part of the island, and is estimated to have ravaged an area spanning 70 square kilometres, according to the mayor, Carlos Teles, as reported by local media.
The judicial police announced the arrest of a 45-year-old man suspected of starting the fire.
The various fires also caused damage to the island’s energy network, leaving 400 households without electricity, as stated by Pedro Ramos.
