More than 300 people have sustained injuries in the fires, most due to smoke inhalation or minor burns, Albuquerque said.
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Three persons, including an elderly woman have been killed in forest fires sweeping across Portugal.
REUTERS/Duarte Sa A general view of Sitio de Curral dos Romeiros during the wildfires at Funchal, Madeira island, Portugal, August 9, 2016.
(AP Photo/Helder Santos). A burnt house stands in Alto da Pena, on the outskirts of Funchal, the capital of Portugal’s Madeira island, Wednesday, Aug. 10 2016.
The weather forecast is for cooler temperatures and a drop in the wind speed, which authorities hope will help extinguish the fire.
“Roughly 1,000 people had to be evacuated from homes and hotels”, among both residents and tourists, Funchal mayor Paulo Cafofo said according to Lusa news agency. Patients were evacuated from a small hospital as a precaution.
Strong winds in Aguded have been making the situation there worse.
“It is with an aching heart that I’m seeing what’s happening in Madeira and other parts of the country”, the Real Madrid star said in a Facebook post.
The fires have destroyed homes, shut major motorways for hours and forced the evacuation of several villages this week, mostly in the north of Portugal. Thousands of firefighters have been battling at least three hundred blazes.
Firefighters survey the scene as they prepare to tackle the blaze in central Portugal on Tuesday.
Road and air transport were badly affected by the fire on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile several global flights were cancelled after winds blew a large quantity of ash across Funchal airport and a major shopping centre was closed for the day.
Two people were reported injured, one seriously, as the fire in southern France moved toward Marseille, firefighters said, and 20 to 25 homes were burned.
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Francisco Jose Santana, a married father of five, was killed while fighting the fire, which started last Wednesday.
