A fire in Monchique on Monday afternoon had all the conditions to spread uncontrollably as the hot weather and breeze allowed the blaze rapidly to gain strength and coverage.
The alert was given at 3:37 pm in Portela do Vale in the Marmelete area with the western Algarve’s fire teams soon on the scene with 137 people and 48 vehicles involved.
Helicopter support was called up for water bombing duties and according to the Faro District Command for Relief Operations, the blaze was officially extinguished at 21:50 on Mionday night, with fire fighters and support vehicles left in place to deal with any re-ignition.
A €122,000, 2014 firefighting truck owned by Portimão Bombeiros was caught in the erratic blaze and was burnt out but nobody was injured in the first major incident this summer.
Monchique has been on high alert in recent weeks due to weather conditions that, if a fire starts, will ensure it spreads rapidly.
