"Fires Massacre The Municipal Of Santa Cruz"
Today’s (Saturday) headline in the Diário de Notícias – 1st August, 2009
‘Santa Cruz In Flames – Firefighters pass the day running after fires throughout the area’.
"The fire is a thief", she says almost groaning, a woman of about 60 years, while looking powerlessly at the rise of the voracious flames in the direction of her house, in the sitío de Moinhas da Assomads, Caniço.
During the afternoon she saw the fire in the distance, consuming the the woods on the hillside above. Around about 8pm, the cinders, dragged by the wind in all directions, spread the fires all over the place. One of them had everything it needed to grow and take the flames up the side of a valley, threatening homes at the top. The men of the house tried to prevent the spread of the fire by watering the undergrowth, but the rising temperature from the flames quickly dried out the precautionary measure.
The moment of despair experienced by the inhabitants of Assomada was like that felt by dozens of residents in Santa Cruz yesterday. From Gaula, to Caniço de Baixo, Mâe de Deus, and Tendereira, passing through Assomada and Reis Magos, gives an idea of some of the main areas affected, where the "people were massacred" by the intense and suffocating stench of hundreds of square metres of burning bush.
Firefighters from Santa Cruz, Funchal, Machico, and Ribeira Brava were in attendance, as well as the Madeira Volunteers, responding to dozens of calls for help from people with fire approaching their homes. At the close of the newspaper deadline last night, it was said that no houses were damaged, but the firefighters were still out there in considerable numbers spread throughout the area. Meanwhile the fire services from Câmara de Lobos, Santana and Machico also had forest fires or similar to deal with in their own jurisdictions.
‘UNCONTROLLED FIRE IN GAULA – HOMES THREATENED‘
A fire on several fronts in Gaula is causing the panic in the local population. Dozens of homes are threatened. People who are closer to the fire are worried about their property. The fire started around five am this morning at sítio da Lombada, and everything leads to believe it has been a caused through clearing land by burning.
However, the strong wind that is felt at the site caused several outbreaks of fire which is currently uncontrollable.
Diário de Notícias, 12.30pm Friday 31st July 2009
See the video from Tobi
Thanks to Sue and Jon for the photos, and Tobi for the main one and video.
