The Regional President of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, rejected criticism on Thursday regarding the concentration of two Canadair firefighting aircraft operations on the island of Porto Santo. “We’re 10 minutes away,” he responded when asked if there would be a waste of time due to the distance between Porto Santo and Madeira Island.
Speaking to journalists, Albuquerque explained that operations could not have been centered on Madeira Island because there were no pilots qualified to land at Cristiano Ronaldo Airport. “Our airport has special characteristics, only tested and qualified pilots can land and take off from that airport,” he stated.
He also assured that a “pragmatic decision” was necessary and that they could not “wait for pilots with courses” to land at the Madeiran airport.
When questioned by a journalist about whether the water drop times would be compromised by the decision, Albuquerque reiterated: “No, we’re 10 minutes away.”
He emphasized again that “no critical infrastructure was affected, no house was damaged,” and “no one was injured” in the fires that have been burning for more than a week on the island. He also stated that the flames did not consume “great natural heritage” of Madeira, but rather “scrubland.”
The fire on Madeira Island broke out on August 14 in the mountains of Ribeira Brava municipality, progressively spreading to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, and through Pico Ruivo to Santana. Firefighting efforts have been hampered by wind and high temperatures, but there are no reports of destruction of houses or essential infrastructure.
On Wednesday, the Portuguese Government requested two Canadair firefighting aircraft from the European Union under the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The aircraft arrived in Madeira on Thursday and are already operating.
The Judiciary Police is investigating the causes of the fire, but the president of the Madeiran executive, Miguel Albuquerque, said it was arson.
