The President of the Regional Government, who arrived tonight from Porto Santo on board the ‘Lobo Marinho’, was already at the fire-fighting command post installed in Curral das Freiras this evening, and stressed that he did not underestimate the need to ask for help from the Republic, highlighting that unfortunately the region finds itself struggling, once again, with arson.
Miguel Albuquerque spoke to RTP-Madeira and said that the arrival of the special force sent by the Republic is awaited, and is expected to arrive at 1:00 am this Sunday morning. There are around 76 members of staff who are coming to help, and it is certain that the resolution of the problem will also depend on the evolution of the weather conditions, trying to contain the spread of the fire in urban areas to safeguard people and property.
He stressed that if the wind moves north, there will be a much greater chance of containing the fire in urban areas. “We will be there all night with the teams to monitor and try to contain it. If it expands north, in this area it will reach the Areeiro area, so there will be no housing, but everything depends on circumstances that we cannot control.”
The fire is being monitored by drone images that allow us to see the evolution of the flames, said the president.
“Unfortunately, this arson situation cannot be controlled, it is impossible,” he lamented, recalling that Madeira is already accustomed to this type of situation. He refused to point the finger at suspicions that it was started by a rocket being set in the Serra de Água village, a situation that will be up to the authorities to investigate.