The fire broke out on Saturday near the small coastal town of Odemera, where many foreigners also live. But since then the fire has been driven by strong winds towards the Algarve, one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions.
The fire has so far destroyed 6,700 hectares of land. Nineteen villages, four tourist accommodations and a camp have also been evacuated. In total there are 1,400 people.
high temperatures
The recent wave of wildfires was sparked by the country’s high temperatures. For example, in the Portuguese city of Santarem, 75 kilometers northeast of the capital, Lisbon, the temperature yesterday was 46.4 degrees, which is the highest temperature of the year. Portugal and Spain are currently experiencing the third heat wave of this summer.
In Spain, things are going better with wildfires this week, despite the warmer temperatures. For example, the three fires that broke out over the weekend have been put out and are under control today. The largest fire in the Northeast has burned about 600 acres of land. In addition, 150 people were evacuated.
Temperatures will continue to rise until at least Friday, Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET said, with temperatures in some parts of the southern region of Andalusia reaching 44 degrees.
In Portugal, temperatures are expected to drop across the country, although they will still be above 30 degrees.
