Fires: Fajã das Galinhas remains inaccessible and some residents do not even want to return

I trust the government and Câmara will address the situation for the residents in this area promptly. Historically, this area has not received the attention it deserves from the government, which has resulted in neglect and a lack of support for its residents.

The Fajã das Galinhas site, in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, one of the most affected by the fire that has been raging in Madeira since Wednesday, will remain inaccessible for at least another two weeks, the mayor said today.

“At this moment, we have 120 people, 36 families, outside Fajã das Galinhas, of which 42 people [16 families] are under the care of the Community Center of the Câmara de Lobos Municipal Council, and the rest are in relatives’ homes”, said Leonel Silva in statements to the Lusa news agency.

The mayor was speaking at the community center, in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, a parish to which Fajã das Galinhas belongs, where a “surprise party” took place to mark the 4th birthday of Henrique, one of the three children staying at the facility.

“Look, mummy, a robot!” he said very excitedly when he opened one of the presents, and he was even more excited when he realized it was a remote-controlled toy.

Henrique’s family, like the others, were evacuated from Fajã das Galinhas on Saturday, when the fire surrounded the site, located in the high areas of the municipality, and, although there is no record of any house being destroyed, the only access road is now full of debris, rocks and trees that fell from the cliff face and is not in a condition for safe circulation.

“I wouldn’t go back. If I had somewhere to go, I wouldn’t go back. I would only go back to get things,” Filomena Nunes, 75, who was housed in the community center with her husband, told Lusa.

Despite really liking the place, where she has lived since she was born and where she raised three children, especially because “it is very quiet there”, Filomena Nunes guarantees that she would not hesitate to leave the place if a house in another location were made available to her.

This is also the feeling of Irene dos Santos and her husband, José Paulo Rodrigues.

“If they found a house, I would move. But if there is no house, where will the person go?”, said Irene dos Santos, who has lived in Fajã das Galinhas “since she was little”.

Next to her, her husband shares her opinion and even says he wouldn’t mind leaving the farm.

José Paulo Rodrigues, who has lived in Fajã das Galinhas since his marriage 25 years ago, regrets not knowing yet when they will be able to return to the site, but is satisfied with the service at the community center.

“What we eat at home we also eat here. There is breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. It’s how we eat at home,” he explained.

On behalf of the City Council, President Leonel Silva acknowledges that the relocation of families to the community center was organized in an “emergency situation” and planned for a “short stay”, but the circumstances changed due to the instability of the escape along the access road to the site.

“It is a process that we have to manage in stages, and the scenario has changed”, he said, highlighting that, at this moment, he cannot “guarantee a predictable date for people to return safely to their homes”.

“One to two weeks, at least,” he says.

The local authority is now looking for alternatives, in conjunction with Social Security and the Housing Institute, to distribute families across other facilities and thus ensure greater privacy and comfort.

“At the moment, the road is closed, it is impossible to drive on it, because there is a lot of rocky material, trees, and trunks on the pavement,” he reported.

Leonel Silva said that the priority today is to restore electricity to the site and ensure the feeding and care of the pets and livestock that remained in Fajã das Galinhas, with a team from the local authority having been mobilized, with the support of some residents, to carry out this operation.

The mayor also mentioned that a group of families would not return to the area if they were provided with a housing solution and recalled that the City Council already has a plan for the construction of 30 houses budgeted at 7.5 million euros.

“My wish is, by the end of this year, to have the conditions, financial resources and contractual commitments to be able to start the excavations, so that within a year and a half, two years, these buildings can be completed,” he said.

In these seven days, the authorities instructed nearly 200 people to leave their homes as a precaution and provided public reception facilities, but many residents have already returned, with the exception of Fajã das Galinhas, in Câmara de Lobos, and Furna, in Ribeira Brava.

Fighting the flames has been hampered by the now-reduced wind and high temperatures, but there have been no reports of homes or essential infrastructure being destroyed. One firefighter was treated at the hospital for exhaustion, but there were no other injuries.

Projections from the European Forest Fire Information System, cited by the Regional Government, indicate that seven thousand hectares have been burned.

From Jornal Madeira