PJ police are investigating fires that flared up after dark last night in Caldas de Monchique.
The blazes were rapidly brought under control thanks to ‘massive firefighter response’.
By the time they had been ‘dominated’ there were over 170 firefighters and 58 appliances at the scene which has been described as an area of scrubland and eucalyptus.
The first fire was reported shortly before 9pm. The second blaze started some time later.
It is this blaze particularly that police have been referred to by CM TV as investigating.
By coincidence, fears of potential arson attacks increased this week due to the release of a fire-raiser appealing a nine-year jail term (click here).
Say reports, the fires were officially pronounced as extinguished shortly after 1am.
No homes or properties appear to have been damaged but one firefighter, from Aljezur, sustained light injuries.
This fire comes just weeks after Monchique was hit by wildfires that devastated over 27,000 hectares of land, much of it the only source of income for local families.
Mayor Rui André has put a price on the damage as ‘over 10 million euros’
