Three people were dead, one was missing and a further 300 were injured in the Portuguese island of madeira on Thursday as a result of wildfires around the capital Funchal. Fire destroyed 30 homes and led to the evacuation of more than a thousand people in the city of Funchal.
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A forest fire on the Portuguese island of Madeira that left more than 400 people evacuated from their homes and another 174 seeking medical treatment is now under control.
He said 80 people were in hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, including two in a serious condition. At least 37 houses and a five-star hotel had burned down.
Firefighters have struggled to control the blaze on the island off north-west Africa because of high temperatures and strong winds.
The police report alleges that the fire outbreak might have caused by a man, which actually, he is reported to have been arrested.
A vast ball of smoke was seen above Funchal on Tuesday with the evening sky turned orange by the flames, prompting locals to photograph the scene from surrounding hills.
Firefighters said the steep hills and dense woodlands of the island has made it hard to extinguish the flames.
The fire broke in Madeira at a moment Portugal is already battling 186 fires in its mainland, mostly in the northern part of the country.
Tourism is the mainstay of Madeira’s economy. 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 on Wednesday from the Portuguese mainland.
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Regional President Miguel Albuquerque said he was hopful that cooler temperatures expected later today would ease the situation.
