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Two European Union firefighting planes arrived on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Thursday, where firefighters continue to battle a forest fire near the Ribeira Brava district.

The planes were deployed from Spain earlier in the day after Portugal requested assistance through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism on Wednesday evening.

The aircraft will assist local authorities in fighting the fire and provide vital air support in difficult conditions.

Last week, at the request of the city of Lisbon, the EU activated its Copernicus satellite system to help monitor the fire that has been raging for a week and is threatening a UNESCO World Heritage forest.

In a post on X, the observatory said the fire had already burned 4,937 hectares of land by Wednesday afternoon, while 545 hectares had burned in the previous 24 hours.

The European Commission said it was closely monitoring the situation and was ready to provide additional resources if needed.

Around 150 firefighters are battling the fire on two main fronts on the island, which is traditionally full of tourists at this time of year.

The fire broke out in the Ribeira Brava district and has since spread to the nearby districts of Camara de Lobos and Ponta do Sol in the southern part of the island.

Local authorities said on Wednesday that the fire was also raging in areas that were difficult for firefighters to access.

Firefighting efforts have been hampered by the now-decreased wind and high temperatures, but there are no reports of damage to houses or important infrastructure.