Wildfire devastates Madeira, forcing mass evacuations from Nuns' Valley

For a few days now, a fire has been raging on the Portuguese island of Madeira, necessitating the evacuation of several hundred people from the central part of the island, including the popular tourist destination of Curral das Freiras. The famed Nuns' Valley is a frequent excursion spot for visitors.

The disaster in Madeira, an island which attracts numerous tourists, has already consumed over 12,000 acres of forest. Consequently, one person has died, and three have been injured, including two firefighters.

High temperatures and strong winds, which accelerate the fire's spread, hinder the firefighters' fight against the blaze and complicate their assessment of the situation on the ground.

In connection with the wildfire in central Madeira, as of Saturday, 17 August, evacuations of residents from towns threatened by the fire have been ongoing, including the popular tourist destination Curral das Freiras, or Nuns' Valley.

Curral das Freiras is a popular excursion destination on the Portuguese island. Due to its unique location in a deep valley resembling a volcanic crater, it is considered one of the most picturesque spots on Madeira. High mountain peaks surround the town.

Curral das Freiras was named in honour of the nuns from the Santa Clara convent, who considered the place an ideal refuge in 1566 when pirates attacked Funchal. Nuns' Valley is one of the few places on the island that is invisible from the water.

Tourists visit the 19th-century Nossa Senhora do Livramento church and the viewpoint Eira do Serrado, at an altitude of 3,593 feet. Popular hiking trails are nearby. One must also taste the local delicacies, with chestnuts prominent.

The Prime Minister of Madeira's autonomous government, Miguel Albuquerque, announced on Sunday, 18 August, that the fire was "the work of an arsonist".

Albuquerque informed that "the fire was set in a hard-to-reach part of the forest" in the central part of the island. He labelled the Portuguese government's assistance as "insufficient" for Madeira's fight against the fire, despite the initiative from Luis Montenegro's cabinet, which saw 80 firefighters and rescuers from Lisbon arrive on the island on Sunday.

The statement by the head of the regional government coincided with information from the Portuguese newspaper "Diario de Noticias", according to which, on Sunday evening, police on the island received a report regarding another arsonist in Funchal, the central city of Madeira. According to the daily, the man was frightened off by local residents while attempting to set fire to one of the city's parks.