3 dead in Madeira Islands as wildfire spreads into capital

Smoke from forest fires rises above Funchal, the capital of Portugal’s Madeira island, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016.

The blazes were fueled by high summer temperatures and strong winds.

A thousand people have been evacuated from homes and hotels near the capital Funchal, where three elderly people died in two separate house fires.

The National Civil Protection Service said some 2,900 firefighters were in action on Tuesday tackling dozens of forest fires.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Tuesday he would request assistance from other European countries and Russian Federation if the blazes do not abate by next Monday.

August – when temperatures are high, winds blow strongly and woodland is parched – is traditionally the peak time for wildfires in Portugal and other southern European countries. Twelve major fires, a lot of them in the north-west of the country, were burning on Wednesday morning, according to Portugal’s civil protection agency.

At least three people have been killed as fires rage on the Atlantic island of Madeira with hundreds evacuated from homes and buildings including the hospital. He says more than 300 people have required medical treatment for smoke inhalation and minor burns.

Tourism is the mainstay of Madeira’s economy.

The Madeira fire forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and tourists in the islands off northwestern Africa.

Firefighter department of the fire service reports it become nearly impossible to quench the fire quickly and especially on time because of the steep hills and dense woodland of Madeira terrain.

Apart from the dry weather, officials also called bad forest management, as the fires often start deliberately and spread quickly from the dead wood. By Wednesday afternoon it had recovered 102 of them, SPAD Funchal said on its Facebook page.

He said reinforcements, including firefighters and doctors, are due to arrive later Wednesday from the Portuguese mainland.

However, cooler temperatures forecast for Wednesday are expected to help ease the situation on the island, according to regional president Miguel Albuquerque.