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Wildfires leave at least four dead on Portugal’s Madeira

The report from Portuguese officials has it that, most fire outbreak in Madeira starts deliberately and often, times spread speedily and deferred control because the forest is left uncleared and dead dry woods are abandon by the locals indiscriminately.

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Two people have also been seriously injured and another is missing, according to Portuguese newspaper Publico.

A large number of homes were destroyed in the blaze and around 174 people sought medical attention, while police officers confirmed the unnamed pensionners died when their home caught fire near the centre of the capital in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

People watch the wildfires at Funchal, Madeira island, Portugal.

On Tuesday evening, Portugal’s civil protection service said more than 4,000 firefighters were attending to 150 separate blazes, with seven major fires now out of control.

Mainland Portugal, meanwhile, has also been struck by a spate of forest fires since Friday with the north of the country, where temperatures have surged to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), particularly hard hit.

Portugal has sought fire-fighting planes from its European partners, an interior ministry official told AFP, adding that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism had been activated.

Albuquerque said that most of those needing treatment had inhaled smoke and only two were severely hurt, with burns.

Madeira authorities said they hoped cooler temperatures this evening and a drop in wind speeds would help them gain control over the Funchal wildfire.

More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the Portuguese Island of Madeiras following a wildfire which has stretched into its third day. Residents described chaotic nighttime scenes, with people fleeing the flames by vehicle at high speed on the wrong side of the road.

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And firefighters have said the steep hills and dense woodland have made it nearly impossible to tackle the blaze.

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