An interesting Fact Check From Diário Notícias Below
The fire that broke out a week ago in Serra de Água and has already consumed more than 4 thousand hectares in Madeira is already considered one of the largest fires in the Region.
There are even those who say that “there is no memory of a fire that consumed Madeira from one end to the other, passing through so many municipalities”.
The truth is that, as DIÁRIO has reported, the fire has already reached the municipalities of Ribeira Brava, Câmara de Lobos, São Vicente, Ponta do Sol and Calheta. It has also reached Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo. But is there really no record of a fire of this size?
In September 1994, DIÁRIO reported that forest fires were burning throughout the island, except in the municipality of Santana.
In the parish of Camacha, for example, several families were at risk of losing their homes, in a “violent fire with several active fronts” that was being fought by the Madeira Volunteer Firefighters and the Municipal Firefighters of Santa Cruz.
The fire was also raging in Chão da Lagoa, Montado do Barreiro, Ribeira das Cales and on Estrada das Carreiras.
At dawn, new requests for help arrived for the mountains of Gaula, Curral das Freiras and Três Paus à Viana, in the parish of Santo António.
The Câmara de Lobos Volunteer Firefighters were, however, called to put out the fire that broke out in the Estreito, Quinta Grande and Foro mountain ranges.
The fire even reached the area of São Paulo, in Ribeira Brava, which left some houses in danger.
At one point, there were practically firefighters from all the fire brigades in Madeira assigned to fight the fires that also reached Calheta, namely Prazeres and Paul da Serra.
Firefighters, military personnel, forest rangers and PSP were “thirsty, hungry, intoxicated and exhausted” and the strong, crosswinds gave them no rest.
The fact that the levada closest to Carreiras had dried up was another major concern.
Eighty percent of the reforested area of Barreiro was devastated by this fire.
Surrounded by fire in 2010
The 2010 fires also consumed a large area and affected several municipalities in Madeira. The main outbreaks were recorded in Eira do Serrado, Gaula and Camacha.
In August, fires destroyed 8% of the island’s entire territory, with Madeira losing 10.4% of its forest area. Several houses were at risk, and animals and Palheiros were burned.
All fire departments in the Region were fighting this fire, with a total of more than 400 firefighters.
August 2016, the deadliest.
The fires of August 2016 left three people dead, around a thousand people were evacuated and dozens of houses burned down. They were some of the worst in living memory.
The municipality of Funchal was the most affected after the fire broke out in the Alegria area. Lisbon sent 36 firefighters to help the Madeira firefighters and the Azores sent another 20.
But the wind and temperatures that exceeded 30 ℃ gave no respite and the fire destroyed more than six thousand hectares of forest and affected urban areas.
The scene in the city was devastating.
