“So far, and after 11 days, there are no victims to mourn, no one is injured, no homes have been consumed by the fire, and no essential public structures have been affected, namely the hydroelectric power stations”, said the head of the Madeiran executive.

Miguel Albuquerque was speaking at a press conference, in which he presented the status of the fire, at the Madeira Regional Civil Protection Service, in Funchal.

The government official reiterated that the strategy adopted to combat the fire was “the most appropriate” and, on the other hand, stressed that, despite the size of the fire, which consumed more than 5,000 hectares, only “some residual areas” of the laurel forest were damaged.

“So far, the strategy adopted by Civil Protection, placing Civil Protection forces and agents and firefighters at critical points, protecting urban centres and public infrastructure, has once again proven to be the most appropriate given the complexity of this fire”, he stated, stressing that “technically the decisions were appropriate and those that, given the latent threat, were the most correct”.

The head of the Social Democratic government considered that fires of this degree of complexity cannot be fought “with guesswork, nor with voluntarism, nor by improvisation”, but with “technical knowledge of the terrain, experience, technical rigour, a sense of planning and rigorous use of resources and means”.

According to Miguel Albuquerque, 150 operatives remain on the ground today, although the fire fronts are “substantially reduced or non-existent”, but there is still a focus of “potential rekindling” in the upper area of Lombada, in the municipality of Ponta do Sol, in the west of the island.

The minister reiterated that “a large part of the burnt area is scrubland”, with acacias, eucalyptus and carqueja trees, and guaranteed that “the entire central core of the laurissilva [forest]” was not affected, indicating, however, that the fire in Pico Ruivo, in the central mountain range, has endangered the nesting area of the Madeira nuthatch, a seabird at risk of extinction.

“According to a brief survey carried out by the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation, only a few residual areas of the laurel forest were damaged, namely in Encumeada [Ribeira Brava], in Lombo do Urzal [São Vicente] and in the area overlooking Caldeirão Verde [Santana],” he said, before adding: “This means that the laurel forest, despite the size of these fires, was not affected in its integrity as a UNESCO natural heritage site.”

Miguel Albuquerque highlighted the performance of the air resources in fighting the fire, both the Civil Protection helicopter, which has been in operation since the first day, having dropped 327 fires by Friday, and the two Canadair aircraft, mobilised through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which carried out 26 drops between Thursday and Friday and are expected to remain in the region until Monday.

Albuquerque now admits to using these resources in future situations “if necessary”, but warned that they cannot operate in urban areas.

The rural fire on the island of Madeira broke out on August 14th, in the mountains of the municipality of Ribeira Brava, gradually spreading to the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol and, via Pico Ruivo, Santana.

The authorities advised nearly 200 people to leave their homes as a precaution and provided public shelter facilities, but many residents have already returned, with the exception of those from Fajã das Galinhas, in Câmara de Lobos.

The fight against the flames has been hampered by the wind and high temperatures, but there are no reports of homes or essential infrastructure being destroyed.

Some firefighters received treatment for exhaustion or minor injuries, but there were no other injuries.

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.