Miguel Albuquerque was speaking at a press conference at the Regional Civil Protection Service facilities in Funchal to provide an update on the fight against the rural fire that has been burning on the island of Madeira for a week.
The governor pointed out that “a lot of undergrowth, heather, and eucalyptus were burned,” but emphasized that “the entire core of Laurissilva, laurel trees on the northern slope,” were not affected by the fire, which did not reach that region.
“And at this moment, I think that a large part of the Laurissilva forest is safeguarded and has not been affected so far,” he stated.
On the other hand, to protect the Zino’s petrel, an endemic pelagic seabird of the island, the chicks of this species were removed today. “They will go to the Bird Center, and tomorrow [Thursday] we will try to place them back when the danger has passed,” he added.
Albuquerque mentioned that the fire that hit Madeira in 2010 was “devastating for the nesting of this species,” causing a “population reduction,” which was later recovered. “We have done everything possible to safeguard it,” he considered.
The Zino’s petrel is one of the rarest seabirds in the world and was considered extinct until the late 1960s. It has a world population of only 65 to 80 pairs, with a restricted nesting area on small plateaus above 1,600 meters altitude, located between Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo.
The Laurissilva, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site since 1999, already existed when Portuguese navigators arrived in the Madeira archipelago in the 14th century, according to the archipelago’s Institute for Forest and Nature Conservation. It occupies an area of about 15,000 hectares, equivalent to 20% of the island’s territory, and is mainly located on the north coast, from 300 to 1,300 meters in altitude.
On the political front, Albuquerque was asked if he fears a motion of censure against the Regional Government, admitted this afternoon by Chega, and classified the criticisms that have emerged from the opposition as “exacerbated cacophony.”
He insisted that with no damage to homes, essential infrastructure, or casualties, “there is no poor firefighting.” The fire that broke out eight days ago in Madeira continued, at 7:00 PM, with “two active fire fronts” and evolved towards the island’s central mountain range. At that time, it was being fought by 140 operatives.
The rural fire broke out in the mountains of Ribeira Brava municipality, progressively spreading to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, and, through Pico Ruivo, Santana.
In these eight days, authorities instructed nearly 200 people to leave their homes as a precaution and provided public shelter facilities, but many residents have already returned, except for Fajã das Galinhas in Câmara de Lobos.
The fight against the flames has been hampered by wind, now reduced, and high temperatures, but there is no record of destruction of houses and essential infrastructure. Some firefighters received assistance for exhaustion or minor injuries, with no other injuries reported.
Data from the European Forest Fire Information System indicate that up to 12:00 PM today, 4,937.6 hectares had burned in this fire. The Judicial Police are investigating the causes of the fire, but Albuquerque has already said it was arson.
