EU Sends Water Bombing Planes to Tackle Madeira Wildfire

The European Union dispatched two water bombing planes from Spain to assist in extinguishing a wildfire on Madeira, Portugal. The fire has burned 5,000 hectares of vegetation in difficult terrain. EU authorities provided the planes through the RescEU mechanism, and additional resources may be deployed if needed.

The European Union dispatched two water bombing planes from Spain to the Portuguese island of Madeira on Thursday, seeking to contain a wildfire that has been raging for eight days. The blaze ignited on August 14, scorching nearly 5,000 hectares of vegetation, primarily in mountainous, hard-to-reach areas.

Portugal sought help via the EU civil protection mechanism RescEU, which provided the aircraft. EU authorities assured the bloc's readiness to dispatch further resources if necessary. Regional government chief Miguel Albuquerque noted the planes' role in fighting the fire would commence Thursday afternoon.

"These planes, capable of dropping 6,000 litres of water, will only be deployed in the central mountain range," Albuquerque stated to state broadcaster RTP, clarifying they wouldn't be used in urban or agricultural zones. Firefighters, supported by several vehicles and a helicopter, battled the flames in both the central mountain range and Ponta do Sol on the southern coast, areas that are on high ground and away from residential zones.

The Atlantic island of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal with a population of about 250,000 and a popular tourist spot, has been under high alert for elevated temperatures and wildfire risks. The rise in global temperatures attributed to climate change has led to increasingly frequent wildfires, spanning regions from Southern and Eastern Europe to North America and parts of Asia.

(With inputs from agencies.)