santo antao fire damage map

Santo Antão fire damage

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The forest fire on Santo Antão that we reported on last week has now been extinguished. However, the Cape Verdean Minister of Agriculture, Gilberto Silva, has stated that it will take a lot of hard work over more than five years for the area to recover from the fire damage.

Some 200 hectares (almost 500 acres) were damaged according to latest estimates. This area is some 13% of the whole forest area and equivalent to approximately 200 football pitches. The flames have destroyed trees, endemic plants and water pipelines. These pipelines were installed to provide water to the East Plateau (Planalto Leste).

The causes of the fire are as yet unknown.

santo antao forest fire

Devastating forest fire on Santo Antão

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With fires breaking out in a number of countries in Europe, a new forest fire has now broken out in the forest on the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. This fire has been described as being more serious than the one in June 2017. It is thought that it might be the worst fire to have hit this forest.

The fire is reported to have started in the area of Espongeiro. It as already burnt a large amount of the forest, reports suggest as much as 30 hectares (74 acres) and some houses are threatened..

The fire is described as complicated, given that it is burning on at least three separate fronts. Some families have been evacuated from the areas at risk. This fire destroy an important part of the eco-system on the island. The smoke will also have unwelcome effects on the environment.

This is the third fire that has occurred in this forest in under two months. The Government set up a volunteer fire brigade only two weeks ago as a measure to protect this precious forest.