The European Union has dispatched two water bombing planes from Spain to Madeira, (a Portuguese island) on Thursday to help with putting out a wildfire that has been raging for eight days.
The blaze which began on August 14, had burnt nearly 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) of vegetation, mostly in mountainous areas with steep slopes and difficult access.
Portugal has called for aid via the EU civil protection mechanism RescEU. In response, EU authorities dispatched the two Canadair planes, with the assurance that the bloc was ready to deploy additional resources if it became necessary.
Meanwhile, the Regional government chief, Miguel Albuquerque had announced that the planes would join the firefighting effort on Thursday afternoon.
He has said to the state broadcaster, RTP;
“These planes, which dump 6,000 litres of water, will be only used to tame the fire in the central mountain range. They cannot be utilised in urban or agricultural areas.”
The firefighters supported by a dozen vehicles and a helicopter were fighting the flames in the central mountain range and in Ponta do Sol, on the southern coast. Both openings are on high ground and away from residential areas.
The Atlantic island of Madeira has been on alert for high temperatures and risk of wildfires for several days.
For context, Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal with around 250,000 residents that is a popular tourist destination.
The ever increasing global temperatures that have been attributed to climate change have led to more frequent wildfires in Southern and Eastern Europe and even in Asia and North America.
