The Forestry Police have confirmed that the fire, which due to the wind and its location, is causing an emergency service logistical nightmare, was caused by someone using an angle grinder, in a difficult to reach to area in Rocha Alta. As such, the Judiciary Police were called out to the scene.
Posts published in “Weather”
The Portuguese Institute of Atmosphere and Sea (IPMA), has placed the mountainous regions of Madeira under a red extreme heat weather warning.
A statement released by the Portuguese Institute of Atmosphere and Sea (IPMA), has placed Madeira under a yellow heat warning from tomorrow the 13th of August until Sunday the 15th of August.
Bad visibility caused havoc at Madeira's International Airport this afternoon as several flights were diverted to Porto Santo, or returned to their country of origin.
A heat wave is expected to affect all of Europe during the second half of August, according to Correio da Manhã, and temperatures may increase by up to 20 degrees.
If it isn't one thing, it is another, as strong winds affected air traffic at the airport this afternoon. In many cases, it took pilots two or three attempts before they could land, while a later UK flight was forced to divert to Porto Santa, as it was still unable to land after the third attempt.
According to the Portuguese Institute of Atmosphere and Sea (IPMA), the Madeira archipelago is at a very high risk of ultraviolet (UV) exposure today.
Manuel Neto, former President of the Jardim da Serra Parish Council, has expressed concern about how climate change has lead to a 60% loss of chestnut trees, and 70% of cherry trees in the area.
Miguel Albuquerque visited the Civil Protection facilities in Madeira this morning, for the formal presentation of the 2021 POCIF (Operational Plan for Combating Forest Fires).
Due to the heat, and the fact that military personnel have been on parade since 10.00 am this morning, a soldier began to feel ill and had to be assisted by medical officers.
Professor Dora Pombo, from the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Madeira, has been invited to join the first national network of pollinators, Collaborative Network for the Evaluation, Conservation and Valorization of Pollinators and Pollination Services (polli.NET), which will be launched tomorrow, the 5th of June as part of World Environment Day.
Responding to pressure to further relax curfew hours and allow restaurants and bars to open for longer, the President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, categorically stated that he does not expect to extend the opening hours of restaurants and bars anytime soon, although he did admit that the population had complied with the new curfew hours over the weekend.
Due to the warmer weather, the Regional Secretary for the Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change has asked everyone to be sensible when visiting forest or wooded areas, and to avoid doing anything that will place others, wildlife, property and flora and fauna at risk.
As of tomorrow afternoon, Thursday the 22nd of April, the weather is set to deteriorate as depression Lola begins to make her presence felt. Wind intensity will become moderate to strong, with gusts up to 80 km/h expected in mountainous, eastern, and western regions of the island.
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, Humberto Vasconcelos, announced during his visit to Jardim da Serra yesterday, that Regional Directorate technicians are on the ground assessing the damage caused by last Saturday's storm.