At a press conference to assess the situation at 7:00 PM, Miguel Albuquerque said that the areas of concern are the fronts of Serra de Água and Encumeada, in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, and in Paul da Serra, in the municipality of Calheta.
The 160 people evacuated from their homes all have “minimum comfort conditions and are being monitored from a medical and social point of view.”
“They were evacuated for precautionary reasons, mainly to avoid smoke inhalation,” said the official, emphasizing that “so far there have been no casualties to report, no homes consumed by fire, and no destruction of essential infrastructure,” including the Serra de Água power plant.
The priority in fighting the flames is “safeguarding people and property,” with the most serious situation recorded at night in Curral das Freiras, municipality of Câmara de Lobos. After breaking out on Wednesday in Serra de Água, Ribeira Brava, it was to this municipality that the flames spread first.
According to Miguel Albuquerque, fire containment strips are being made in Paul da Serra and near Estalagem da Encumeada, with the weather forecast for the coming hours being “more favorable” for operations.
“But we will continue to act on the three fronts, as we have been doing, with our professionals in the appropriate and critical areas,” he added.
The Social Democrat also said that the Regional Government will proceed with cleaning escarpments in the affected areas “to minimize any landslides that may occur after the fire.”
At 7:00 PM, 195 operatives were fighting the fire in the affected municipalities, supported by 38 vehicles and the aerial resources available in the region, including 76 members of the joint force of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority who arrived in Madeira in the early hours of today.
According to the Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, Pedro Ramos, 15 additional operatives provided by the Autonomous Region of the Azores are expected to arrive in the early hours of Monday.
Regarding criticisms of the Regional Government’s actions in fighting the fire, Miguel Albuquerque rejected them, reinforcing that there are no victims or affected homes.
“We are not immune to criticism, but we know how to distinguish between rational and credible criticism and political folklore to take advantage of misfortune,” he emphasized.
