Fire in Aljezur grows again due to projections outside the controlled perimeter

The fire that started on Sunday in Aljezur, in the Algarve, increased in intensity during the afternoon today due to projections outside the burned perimeter that was being controlled by firefighters, said a source from Civil Protection.

At a press conference, the second-in-command of the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC), Abel Gomes, stated that the flames, fueled "by the continued wind, are now heading east" in the region.

The worsening of the fire, which started on Sunday in Aljezur and spread to the neighboring municipality of Lagos, was due to a rekindling in the Feiteira area that caused four projections on one of the flanks of the fire, at a time when the fighting resources were positioned in consolidation and extinguishing actions, said Abel Gomes.

According to the person in charge, the first projection occurred outside the area burned by the fire, followed by four more projections that quickly exceeded the combat capacity of the resources that were pre-positioned.

"We had to reposition our resources and the operations are taking place on the flanks with the intervention of tracked machines," he noted.

According to Abel Gomes, the projections have widened the perimeter of the fire to the East, "increasing the area of ​​the flames from 30% to 40%, with 60% of the fire perimeter now under control, with 40% still to be stabilized."

The commander of the relief operations also indicated that an estimated 2,000 hectares of land have been burned in the municipalities of Aljezur and Lagos.

The official admitted that there are now some homes in the line of fire and some people in the town of Vale da Coelha "have been advised to abandon their homes."

Abel Gomes also said that during the afternoon, two other fires broke out in São Marcos da Serra, in the municipality of Silves, "which led to the diversion of air resources to prevent another major fire in an extremely high-risk area."

In turn, the Mayor of Aljezur, José Gonçalves, indicated that "the record of a second home affected by the fire remains, with municipal services on the ground continuing to survey any other damage that may exist."

The mayor of Lagos, Hugo Pereira, also indicated that the municipality has teams on the ground assessing any potential material damage, highlighting that "so far there are no reports of damaged homes."

The second-in-command of the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC), Abel Gomes, also clarified that since Sunday, there have been only three injuries, that is, people who needed hospital assistance, and nine people treated on site, who are not classified as injured.