On the Portuguese island of Madeira, a fire has ravaged at least 5,000 hectares of vegetation

The fire has been going on for more than five days. On the Portuguese island of Madeira, firefighters brought two of the three fronts still active the day before under control on Monday, August 19, in a fire that has been raging since Wednesday. It broke out in the municipality of Ribeira Brava and then spread to several neighboring municipalities on this Atlantic island, located off the coast of Morocco.

In five days, the flames have devastated at least 5,000 hectares of vegetation. “There are no casualties to be regretted so far, no homes consumed by fire and no essential infrastructure destroyed”said the president of the regional government of Madeira on Sunday.

The flames have spread to steep, hard-to-reach areas, fanned by wind and heat, threatening some localities and mobilizing nearly 200 firefighters. The Portuguese government announced on Saturday that it was sending 76 firefighters and rescue workers as reinforcements to fight the blaze.

Some 160 people had to be evacuated as a precaution, particularly due to the risk of smoke inhalation, but these residents have since started to return home.

The mayor of Câmara de Lobos told local media that the two fronts active in his municipality had been brought under control. “The situation is under control and the fire is practically out”he said. A fire remains active in the municipality of Ponta do Sol, but does not represent a danger to homes, according to the mayor of that locality.