Although the situation is currently under control, the fire cannot yet be considered extinguished and teams will remain vigilant on the ground to prevent possible rekindling, added the regional commander of the Civil Protection agency, António Nunes, in statements to Lusa.

“At the moment, it is raining in the highlands”, so it is not expected that the fire will become active again, but there is always a factor of unpredictability in fires, which requires constant vigilance, he said.

The rural fire on the island of Madeira broke out on 14 August in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava, gradually spreading to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and Santana. This morning, on the 11th day, the regional Civil Protection Department reported that the fire is under control and that the firefighters are still on the ground carrying out firefighting operations, controlling some hot spots.

In recent days, the authorities have advised nearly 200 people to leave their homes as a precaution and have provided public shelters, but many residents have returned home.

Fighting the flames has been hampered by the wind and high temperatures, but according to the Regional Government, there have been no reports of injuries or destruction of homes or essential public infrastructure, although some small agricultural production has been affected, in addition to forest areas.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information System indicate that more than 5,045 hectares of area have been burned.

The Judicial Police are investigating the causes of the fire, but the president of the Madeiran executive, Miguel Albuquerque, said it was arson.