LISBON (Reuters) – Firefighters have brought under control a large forest fire in the Portuguese island of Madeira that had been burning for 11 days, but authorities said on Sunday they would remain on the ground to stop it flaring up again.
The blaze, which started on Aug. 14, has burnt more than 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) of vegetation, mostly in mountainous areas where the slopes are steep and the access is often difficult.
“The fire has now been brought under control, but cannot yet be considered extinguished so the teams will remain vigilant on the ground to prevent possible reignitions,” regional civil protection commander Antonio Nunes told news agency Lusa.
Attempts to fight the flames have been hampered by adverse weather conditions, including high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity.
EU authorities provided two Canadair planes to help put out the blaze. The regional government said there had been no injuries, no houses torched and no essential infrastructure destroyed.
The Atlantic island of Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal with around 250,000 residents and is a popular tourist destination.
Rising global temperatures due to climate change have led to more frequent wildfires, from southern and eastern Europe to North America and parts of Asia.
(Reporting by Patrícia Vicente Rua; Editing by Alison Williams)
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