Avelino Viveiros visits his house that burned yesterday at Curral dos Romeiros during the forest fires in Funchal, Madeira island, Portugal, on Wednesday.
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Three people have been killed, two seriously hurt and about a thousand evacuated from homes and hotels.
Firefighting vehicles line the street in the historic center of Funchal in the Madeira islands on August 9. Forest fires in Madeira forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and tourists. At least 2,700 hectares (6,670 acres) of land were devastated.
Hundreds of extra firefighters have been drafted in from other parts of France to help tackle the blaze. A full 186 wildfires were counted Wednesday on Portugal’s mainland.
Tourism is the mainstay of Madeira’s economy.
The National Civil Protection Service reported 14 major wildfires burning out of control in mainland Portugal where nearly 4,500 firefighters were in action in a massive operation, supported by 28 water-dumping aircraft and 1,300 vehicles.
By Wednesday evening the situation on Madeira appeared to be under control, though forest fires continued to rage on mainland Portugal.
Three people have died in a wildfire which has torn through the Portuguese island of Madeira, prompting a massive emergency response.
More than 300 people have sustained injuries in the fires, most due to smoke inhalation or minor burns, Albuquerque said.
City mayor Paulo Cafofo said it was “impossible” to calculate how many buildings were caught in the blaze, but told Publico that a five-star hotel and spa had been completely consumed.
“We evacuated our 140 guests as a precaution”, Correia said, explaining they had spent the night in a sports stadium on the western side of the town.
“The fire is extremely powerful, fast, explosive, and continues burning everything in its path”, firefighters said in a statement from a temporary headquarters set up in Vitrolles.
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Further west in Herault, four firefighters were injured battling another blaze after their vehicle was surrounded by flames. Some 400 police officers were helping towns secure homes and firefighting aircraft, from Canadairs to Trackers, were mobilized.
