Major forest fire in Portugal’s Madeira islands burns homes

Forest fires burned into Wednesday on Portugal’s Madeira Islands, killing at least three people, injuring 174 and forcing the evacuation of more than 1000 from homes and hotels.

Fires also continued to rage on the Portuguese mainland for the fourth day running, as temperatures peaked at over 35 degrees Celsius in the north of the country. The National Civil Protection service said just over 4,000 firefighters supported by 26 water-dumping planes and 1,262 vehicles were attending 149 blazes of varying sizes across the country.

WHEN FIRE HITS THE WILDERNESS A firefighter kneels over near colleagues as they tackle a wildfire in Torredeita near Viseu, central Portugal, on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

REUTERS/Duarte Sa A general view of Sitio de Curral dos Romeiros during the wildfires at Funchal, Madeira island, Portugal, August 9, 2016. One person was missing, Albuquerque said.

Fanned by unpredictable, high winds on the mountainous island amid unusually hot, dry weather, the blazes have created apocalyptic scenes, disrupted flights and left residents fearful for their homes.

Many buildings have been destroyed, including the five star Choupana Hills hotel and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes.

Tourism is the mainstay of Madeira’s economy.

The fires spread quickly through mainly sycamore forests.

Firefighters said the steep hills and dense woodlands of the island has made it hard to extinguish the flames.

A Funchal animal shelter said it released 120 cats and dogs on Tuesday as flames bore down on its premises.

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

The fire across the regional capital have been mostly taken under control, however several were still raging the other parts, regional governor Miguel Albuquerque told a televised news conference.