“The fire still has an active front, which covers a very large area—the entire perimeter of the fire is extensive—and there are hot spots that require attention. Several reignitions occurred throughout the afternoon across the perimeter, necessitating a balance of resources and an immediate response from the unit,” stated a source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command to Lusa.
After receiving support from nine aerial resources during the day, the firefighting unit was “repositioning resources” and opening access with trail machines in the late afternoon to take advantage of the more favorable weather conditions at night.
“We expect the wind to start decreasing and the humidity to increase, and the strategy is now being redefined for nighttime combat,” the source added.
According to the source, there were no additional injuries besides the nine minor ones reported in the Civil Protection briefing held in the morning.
The fire did not affect more houses beyond a second residence that was hit and previously accounted for in the municipality of Aljezur, despite long-distance projections throughout the afternoon that required the unit to adapt to prevent further spreading of the flames, noted the Civil Protection source.
“The wind has been the main obstacle, as it is very strong and causes long-distance projections,” they acknowledged.
The Civil Protection source mentioned a “decrease” in wind intensity is expected, along with “increasing humidity” during the night, and the firefighting teams aim to seize this “window of opportunity” to control the fire as quickly as possible.
“There are areas where access is difficult, and it is necessary to open paths with machines so that teams can perform direct combat,” said the source, anticipating a “night of hard work” for the firefighters.
The affected area consists of brush but also includes pine, eucalyptus, and cork oak areas, as previously described by the Algarve Civil Protection’s deputy commander, Abel Gomes, emphasizing that the brush area was mostly affected in the initial stage of the fire.
In the morning, Civil Protection reported that the fire was 70% controlled, with a “concerning” eight-kilometer-long fire line remaining.
Abel Gomes explained that in the approximately 30% of the fire that was left, there were “concerning points.”
According to information available on the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection’s website, at 19:40, 541 personnel were fighting the flames, supported by 196 vehicles.
The alert for the fire was raised at 15:20 on Sunday in the locality of Bordeira, municipality of Aljezur, district of Faro.
