Sunday morning: air support was back in action to dump water on the fire in the hills, north of Monchique.
District Command is carrying out "the reconnaissance of the terrain, in the light of day, to see the area as a whole," according to its Commander Vaz Pinto.
In addition, at the request of the National Civil Protection Authority, the Air Force made an overnight reconnaissance flight with a C-295 aircraft which used imaging equipment to check for any other fires springing up overnight.
Firefighters from Algarve stations and others brought in from the Alentejo and Lisbon bases, worked throughout the night.
One of the fronts that was said to have been put out, restarted in the hot night air fanned by wind, “the situation seems to have become worse overnight, especially due to the strong winds and high temperatures,” said Pinto.
Rui André, the mayor of Monchique, who has been on the ground to monitor the situation, said that "the night, which usually brings windows of opportunity with lower temperatures and more humidity, this time did not help us. We had 40 degree temperatures here and that made things very difficult."
The 266 Sabóia road remains closed in the fire zone but the 501 has been reopened.
According to the website of the National Civil Protection Authority, the Monchique fire is being tackled by 787 firefighters, supported by 209 vehicles and six aircraft. Two heavy duty Canadian aircraft are due in later today.
The Monchique fire is the major one in the country and, after three days, is proving difficult to combat as the terrain is impassable in many places, the weather is roasting and the wind is not helping.
According to the weather service, the Faro district remains on high alert due to high temperatures but as of midnight on Sunday, a slight decrease in temperatures will see the alert go down a stage to 'Yellow.'
Safe Communities Portugal has the following official information for readers:
Monchique fire protection advice from the government:
http://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/monchique-fire-protection-and-advice-from-government/
and download this .pdf file 'Safe Village Safe People - Protecting yourself against rural fires'
