Seven planes are battling a wildfire that broke out at 3.30 this afternoon in an area close to the Vale da Telha development, outside Aljezur.
With a change in the wind, locals fear the blaze could be heading towards the town, but for the time being it is being tackled by 164 firefighters, 45 appliances, planes and helicopters (since upped to 210 firefighters, 60 appliances and eight planes and helicopters).
Vale da Telha is an area peppered with properties, almost all of which are busy now for the summer.
The progress of this blaze is being constantly updated by fire-watch Facebook site Ass. Alerta de Incendio Florestal/Forestfire Alert, Algarve/lower Beja
Smoke from the fire has already reached the south coast, causing many to share dramatic photos over social media.
Updates to follow.
7.50pm: fire still classified as ’em curso’ (ongoing). All appliances still in place. Reports on fire website fogos.pt suggest internet services in Vale da Telho are either all down, or in the main down.
According to Lusa, six people have been evacuated from homes not under risk from the flames, due to concerns over smoke inhalation.
The fire is described as having three fronts: one to the west that has already been dominated, one that is ‘ceding to efforts’ and one to the south that is still causing concerns.
This information was given to Lusa by Civil Protection civil commander Abel Gomes.
10.20: Via fogos.pt website, fire classified as “in resolution”. 189 firefighters still in place, backed by 65 appliances. Air support no longer flying due to nightfall. Wind negligible. It’s the time reports close down for the evening and everyone hopes this is an end to today’s drama.
8am SATURDAY morning: the massive almost instantaneous response to last night’s outbreak made all the difference to the development of this fire. It remains in ‘resolution’ phase, with still 178 firefighters in attendance backed by 57 appliances. No planes or helicopters yet, but at least one will be on the way. Wind, for now, negligible, meaning the likelihood of ‘reignitions’ in hotspots should be low.
11am: With forces still on the ground, the incident’s classification has moved to ‘conclusion’. This hopefully will be the end of this fire, the cause of which has not yet been officially clarified.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
