Madeira battles wildfire for fifth day

Firefighters backed by 40 vehicles and a helicopter struggled to contain a wildfire on Monday on the southern coast of Portugal’s island of Madeira that has burnt through more than 3,000 hectares (7,410 acres) of forest over the past five days. The blaze, which started on Wednesday in the rural area of Ribeira Brava, has since spread to the neighbouring municipality of Camara de Lobos to the east and was burning close to a popular beach area of Ponta do Sol, to the west. According to local authorities, the blaze had two active fronts, and at noon there was a reignition in the central Curral das Freiras area. High temperatures and strong winds continue to hamper efforts, they added, although no injuries or fatalities have been reported and the flames were not threatening any homes. On Sunday 160 people were evacuated as a precaution due to the risk of smoke inhalation.

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