A fire struck the forest area of Ludo at 4pm on Saturday afternoon, September 16th. The blaze, in the Laranjal golf course area on the Faro/Loulé municipal border, was categorised as extinguished at 8.45pm but not until flames had forced the evacuation of around 40 people from a restaurant as a precautionary measure.
Smoke from the fire hung in a pall over the area, drifting slowly eastwards and caused the Algarve railway service to be suspended until declared safe by the fire service.
Eye-witness Michael Ferrada reported the fire was at "the marvelous 50-year-old forest of Pinheiros Mansos e Bravos, next to the fabulous San Lourenzo Golf Course. Everything is turning to ash. The wind is blowing South-Westerly and the fire spreads to São João da Venda and Gambelas!" classifying the blaze as “real hell.”
Rogério Bacalhau, Faro’s mayor, said the fire was in the Loulé council area and that fire crews will stay in the zone to watch for any reignition as the ground and surrounding trees and vegetation are very dry and the wind medium strength.
The fire broke out in the Ludo forest, a Natural Park. Some 200 firefighters were called to the scene, assisted by four aircraft used for dropping water.
Ferrada called also for the use of drones to home in on fires to try and spot arsonists leaving the scene and for a mandatory 25 year sentence for those convicted of setting light to forest and scrubland.
Photograph: Martin Goodkind
Photograph: Martin Goodkind
Picture, Manuel Mendes
