Flights halted and locals evacuated amid Madeira wildfire

A roaring wildfire has caused travel chaos in the popular tourist destination of Madeira, with dozens of flights cancelled and 160 people evacuated.
Madeira airport “has been transformed into a dormitory”, according to local media.
“The airport is out of control,” Madeira Island News quoted an unnamed witness as saying, who added that Ryanair was “only guaranteeing flights for 29-30 August”. Describing the situation of passengers as “a nightmare”, the source told the newspaper: “They are leaving people to fend for themselves.”
Passengers are stranded due to flight cancellations as a result of high winds that are fanning the flames of a wildfire, which first broke out on August 14 in the rural Ribeira Brava area in the west of the Portuguese island.
Winds, low humidity and high temperatures have caused the fire to spread to the neighbouring Camara de Lobos and Ponta do Sol districts.
An extra 75 firefighters have been flown in from the mainland to join the 195 Madeiran force, with more to come.
“It is a very dangerous fire and I have no doubt that it derived from arson, in an inaccessible area where air support could not operate,” said Miguel Albuquerque, the president of Madeira’s regional government.
At least 5,000 hectares of trees and vegetation have been destroyed by the blaze, accounting for 6 per cent of the island, which is home to about 250,000 people. No injuries or fatalities have been reported so far, but 160 people have been evacuated from the areas at greatest risk. The entire coastline has been placed on orange alert, the second highest level, because of the high temperatures.
The footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in Funchal, the island’s capital, has offered money for the emergency relief effort.
Officials said on Monday that the fires had been partially brought under control. But one of the fires later reignited, leaving two areas west of Funchal burning, Encumeada and Paul da Serra.
In 2016 a wildfire almost reached the centre of Funchal, killing three people and injuring 300 more.