The outbreaks of fire in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, in the west of Madeira, are now far from homes and the situation in the parish of Serra de Água is under control, said the mayor.
In Serra de Água, where the situation was already worrying and the fire was close to houses, there are currently “small reignitions, some small outbreaks of fire, but they are being controlled”, said Ricardo Nascimento, speaking to the Lusa news agency at around 13:30.
“The fire has already moved to other places, to the high areas of Ribeira da Tabua, but it’s far from the population, the firefighters are monitoring it and also in the very high areas of Furna, which is also far from the houses,” he said.
The mayor also said that the municipality is cleaning up some municipal roads and paths.
Most of the residents who have been evacuated in recent days and were housed in the municipality’s sports pavilion will be able to return home this afternoon.
All that’s needed is “some caution when returning the people” who live in the Achada dos Aparícios area, he said.
Regarding the weather conditions, Ricardo Nascimento pointed out that they were more favorable for fighting the fire.
According to the mayor of Ribeira Brava, the fire that broke out on Wednesday has not caused any casualties or displaced people.
The damage recorded so far has been to haystacks, storerooms, farmland and some animals have also died, he said.
Ricardo Nascimento also said that a small support office had been set up to monitor these cases in the Serra de Água Parish Council building.
The rural fire broke out on Wednesday in the mountains of Ribeira Brava, spreading the next day to the municipality next to it, Câmara de Lobos, and, at the weekend, to the municipality of Ponta do Sol, through Paul da Serra.
By Sunday, 160 people had been removed from their homes as a precaution and transported to public facilities, but many residents have already returned or are returning home.
The fight against the flames has been hampered by the wind, which has now died down, and high temperatures, but there are no reports of injuries or the destruction of homes and essential infrastructure.
The fire has mobilized nearly two hundred operatives (including those from the mainland and the Azores) and dozens of vehicles, as well as the archipelago’s air force, with attention focused mainly on the municipalities of Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol.
The president of the regional government, Miguel Albuquerque, claims that it was arson, but the causes have not yet been disclosed.
