Two high-capacity amphibious aircraft from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge took off this Thursday to fight the forest fire on the island of Madeira (Portugal). The fire, which broke out on August 14, has burned at least 5,510 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, which means that more than 7% of the island has already burned.
In addition to the dispatch of the aircraft, 30 people have been deployed, including crews, maintenance and ground support personnel and liaison staff. The work will be carried out in coordination with the Portuguese authorities, according to the department headed by Teresa Ribera.
Since 2019, Spain has been participating in the European Commission’s rescEU transition initiative to
support other countries facing emergencies due to forest fires. This is the third time that it has helped other nations this summer.