The European Commission announced on Thursday that it is sending two firefighting aircraft to the island of Madeira to help Portugal fight forest fires that have so far destroyed around 5,500 hectares of land.
The support comes under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which intervenes in such disasters.
A Commission spokesman said at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday that two aircraft from the European Union’s strategic reserve would be deployed in Spain to fight the fires in Madeira.
Portugal asked the Commission for assistance under the mechanism late on Wednesday evening, the spokesperson said.
The Commission is also providing the Portuguese authorities with satellite images from the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme, he added.
According to state broadcaster RTP, the Spanish Air Force’s two heavy firefighting aircraft arrived in the afternoon and will take part in the firefighting operations.
The forest fire has been raging in the centre of the island since last week. Civil Defence said 125 firefighters and civil defence personnel are battling the blaze.
Firefighting efforts have been hampered by high winds and high temperatures, with officials saying three fronts were active recently, spreading along a mountain range that is difficult to access.
The main task of the emergency services is to prevent the fire from reaching the laurel forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a hydroelectric power station in the Pico Ruivo area.
Regional President Miguel Albuquerque rejected claims by environmentalists that the flames had already engulfed the laurel forest, saying the fire had not reached the protected area.
About 200 people were forced to leave their homes due to the risk of smoke inhalation, but were able to return. No injuries or damage to buildings have been reported so far.
However, Albuquerque assured that people and neighborhoods were not in danger.
The politician also rejects accusations from the Portuguese media that he underestimated the fire and did not cut his holiday short quickly enough.
The unnecessary “alarmist rhetoric” must stop, Albuquerque said, quoted by RTP.
The autonomous Portuguese territory of Madeira, which has a population of approximately 250,000, is located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 kilometres southwest of mainland Portugal and about 500 kilometres west of the Moroccan coast.
