There are still "difficult days" ahead for fire fighting in Aljezur, Vila do Bispo and Lagos

The fire that broke out yesterday afternoon, June 19, in Aljezur and spread to the municipalities of Vila do Bispo and Aljezur, is under control, but "difficult days" are still coming, so the "device will remain" on the ground .

At a press conference, held a moment ago at the command post, mounted in Budens, and in which the Sul Informação participated, Vítor Vaz Pinto, regional commander of Civil Protection in the Algarve, took stock of the situation.

Despite the fact that the fire was “suppressed at 9:10 am”, “there was a series of more or less violent reactivations that were being quelled”, he acknowledged.

«It will be a difficult night, tomorrow also difficult and the day after, ditto. The next few days are going to be tough. If weather conditions are confirmed, we will have a difficult week with regard to rural fires,” he added.

“Professionals are doing everything, but the foreseen conditions do not allow us to say that the fire will be extinguished tomorrow or later”, he acknowledged.

Richard Marques, the operational commander, said that there are "eight crawler machines consolidating the fire, but the intensity of the wind is great and we have projections that are difficult to quell."

In total, the GNR displaced “34 people” who lived in motorhomes or houses scattered along the fire line. The people “settled the situation for themselves”, namely with regard to housing.

The strategic action plan, moreover, prioritizes the “safety of people, combatants and population, if housing is put at risk”. The hot spots are «in the area of Pedralva and Vinha Velha».

Richard Marques recognized how this fire was soon assumed "as an exception situation" and "had a muscular attack".

“The fire is under control, which means that it does not go beyond the barriers created. Reactivations, in a fire 10 kilometers from the tail to the head, is something we are used to. There has been no demobilization so far and the device will remain in place».

So, despite «a large part of the perimeter is in this phase of consolidation», this will be a «night of hard work».

The mayors of Lagos, Vila do Bispo and Aljezur were also present at this point of situation. To Sul Informação, Adelino Soares, mayor of Vila do Bispo, said that whoever “is asking us for support is receiving it”.

These are people for whom houses, made of wood and without any kind of licensing, or motorhomes have been burned and who can seek help from the municipality.

“We still don't know if it was anyone's first home, but each of those points was identified. The owners had already been notified to carry out the demolition, but at the moment, this issue is not a priority».

As for Hugo Pereira, Mayor of Lagos, he told our newspaper how sad he is that this fire has worsened an “already complicated” week due to the Covid-19 outbreak in this municipality.

"It came to aggravate the pressure that Lagos has had in terms of public health and safety, above all in terms of the territory in this case and not in human terms, unlike the issue of Covid-19," he lamented.

Still, the mayor highlighted "the work that has been done, especially on the last night."

"I have full confidence in all the operatives who are on the ground so that we can get rid of this fire once and for all," he added.

Finally, José Gonçalves, mayor of Aljezur, revealed to our newspaper that, in his county, where the fire started, nothing burned “in terms of housing or buildings”.

Photos: Nuno Costa | Sul Informação and Jack Palmer