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A small fire gets out of control near Monchique.

START OF WILD FIRE NEAR MONCHIQUE
I saw smoke from a fire rising in the distance somewhere between Marmelete and Lagos as I came down the hill from Foia. I was heading for the Tasca Petrol restaurant for lunch, and then on to Vale do Lama  near to Lagos, to pick up a friend. We were then heading to Porto do Mos for a spot of Paragliding and chilling out on the beach.
However, I was distracted by the smoke. At first I thought it was a bonfire, so I watched for a little while.  The smoke was becoming more and more  dense and blacker. I got my camera from the car and started taking photos.

WILD FIRE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL
WILD FIRE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL

The red pin on the map below shows the location of the fire

Map picture

 

Approaching the main road at Vale de Corga I saw a number of people gathering by the roadside watching the fire. I parked the car and walked over to the edge of the road to take some more photos. As I took pictures of the fire and took in the view of the Algarve's South coast and countryside, several emergency vehicles went past with a great urgency.

I decided to move on to Petrol for lunch because it is a very popular place and gets very busy. When I got to Petrol it was packed so I thought it better to drive down to Vale do Lama, via Corte Cibrao and find another place to eat on the way.

A helicopter

I stopped again to take some more photos because now I can see flames spreading all along a ridge and a helicopter with a large bag of water slung underneath. It was dumping large quantities of water onto the fire and then flying off to somewhere to fill up with water again. Does anyone know where? I suspect they were using the Barragem da Bravura near Odiáxere. But I don't know for sure.

MONCHIQUE WATER TANKER

A bulk tanker of water from the Bombeiros Voluntarios de Monchique arriving on scene.

I have parked the car well off the road and out of the way so that I can walk down the road a little to see if I can continue on to Vale do Lama on this route or did I need to make a detour.

BOMBEIROS DO SILVES
BOMBEIROS DO SILVES

A fire engine from the Bombeiros do Silves arrives

I came to a place where a turning to the right was showing directions to Tojeiro and other villages and hamlets. The road seemed to take me directly into the area of the fire so I decided not to go any further. A few other people along with the emergency services also were stopping at this point.

As you can see in the photo below, the fire was the other side of a hill but the wind was blowing from the south and in our direction. I was fairly sure that the flames would soon be visible on the tree line.

FIRE

The hillside on the right of the picture above the fire engine is so far, untouched by the fire

What occurs next seems to happen over a very short period of time. Eucalyptus trees become engulfed in flames as the fire advances to the ridge and over the top.

FIRE COMES OVER THE TOP

Sparks, ashes, burning leaves and cinders are blown across the valley, and the hill on the right hand side bursts into flames.

SPARKS START FIRES

Watch the video to see this whole area turn into an out of control wildfire while I make a retreat to somewhere safer and out of the way.

To continue reading, see another video and look at more pictures go to the next post

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Thank you
Selwyn

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The Wild Fire near Tojeiro Monchique continues

I have now moved a good way back the road to a place where I can watch  from a safe distance. The other people have come away also, and the GNR have blocked the road to prevent further access except to emergency vehicles. This is the fire that I mentioned near the end of the first video that started behind me. The fire is getting closer to peoples homes now.
GNR BLOCK THE ROAD
The GNR pull over to let the fire engine from S B Messines get into position to do battle with the fire.
BOMBEIROS DO S B MESSINES
The local people are getting more and more concerned about the fire that is now threatening their homes and come for a closer look. There are a few people near me now and the talk is quite intense. A dog in a closed off run is barking. One lady standing with a small group of local residents, looks like she is  about to burst into tears. A much older man tells her to keep calm.
LOCAL PEOPLE
Aeroplanes join the helicopters in the fire fighting. I have been told that the aeroplanes came from Spain.
AEROPLANE FIGHTING MONCHIQUE FIRE
AEROPLANE DROPPING WATER

BIG FIRE

My camera battery is dying and I am not able to take more photos so I take an alternative route to Vale do Lama. I collect my friend and we have a short drive to the cliff top at Porto do Mos. The wind has changed direction too much from the west for paragliding, so we drink a beer at the cafe before relaxing in the late afternoon sunshine on the beach.

Later when we were driving to Portimao and then up the hill to Monchique, the sky was dark with clouds of smoke drifting across the landscape. The smell was unmistakable.

Fire fighting is a dangerous job and each fire is different. Fires like this one are challenging. Difficult access on the ground for road vehicles, dense undergrowth and steep terrain is normal for areas like the Serra do Monchique.

A big thank you to the fire-fighters who eventually put this fire to sleep sometime in the early hours of the next morning. And to fire-fighters all over the world.

YOU ARE HEROS

Thanks for reading this story.
Selwyn

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