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.
The GNR pull over to let the fire engine from S B Messines get into position to do battle with the fire.
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.
Aeroplanes join the helicopters in the fire fighting. I have been told that the aeroplanes came from Spain.
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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