The President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, announced this Sunday that the fire that has been burning for four days in the region has not, so far, caused “any casualties” and stated that he has “no doubts” that it is a case of “arson.”
“Until now, there have been no casualties to mourn, and no homes have been consumed by the fire, nor has there been any destruction of essential infrastructure,” said the official at a press conference at 7 PM.
According to Albuquerque, firefighting intervention teams were placed “in strategic areas to safeguard urban centers.”
The 160 people who were evacuated from their homes as a “precaution” have “minimum comfort conditions” and are receiving “medical and social support.” Albuquerque further explained that the inhabitants were evacuated only as a “precaution” due to “smoke inhalation,” which “could jeopardize the health of the most vulnerable people.”
During the past night, the fire “was contained” in areas of “homes that were in greater danger.”
“At this moment, the fire’s evolution is predominantly in Paul da Serra, and we are proceeding with a fire containment strip in that area,” he explained.
Miguel Albuquerque stated that currently, “weather conditions are more favorable,” with expectations of “decreased wind intensity and temperatures.”
“This fire was a very dangerous fire that derived – and I have no doubt – from arson in an inaccessible area and during a period when aerial resources could not operate,” he added.
The rural fire that has been burning in Madeira since Wednesday maintains three active fronts as of this evening, announced the President of the Regional Government, noting that 160 people are in public facilities after being evacuated from their homes as a precaution.
Responding to criticism for ‘delaying’ the acceptance of aid from mainland resources, Miguel Albuquerque defended that “what is essential is not that some areas of scrubland burn” and what needs to be done “is to monitor the fire’s evolution and understand, depending on the winds, the possibility of that fire reaching urban areas and placing resources in those places.”
“It’s a very intense fire, with very intense atmospheric conditions, and we don’t have, so far, any victims, we don’t have significant material damages to mourn, we haven’t lost any homes… Where are we going wrong? What Civil Protection strategy is wrong?” he questioned.
The Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, Pedro Ramos, added that currently, “at this moment” 38 ground resources and 195 operatives are engaged in fighting the flames in the municipalities of Ribeira Brava and Câmara de Lobos.
According to the same official, more than 500 firefighters have been deployed since August 14, when the flames broke out, and they are being “mobilized according to conditions and what is necessary.”
