Almost 400 emergency services personnel and seven aircraft fought a wildfire in the Loulé area of Ameixial that started on Saturday morning.
The Civil Protection service ordered full on support to quell the flames that continued through the afternoon and into the evening.
Miguel Oliveira, official of the National Civil Protection Authority, said that the fire had two active fronts, adding late afternoon that the combat strategy will "depend on the behavior of the flames in the next few hours.”
Oliveira said that the evacuation of villages has not been necessary as the fire has been consuming areas of eucalyptus forest as it made its way north into the Alentejo Council area of Almodôvar.
Manuel Cordeiro, the deputy operations director, explained at 15:10, that one of the active fronts was consuming an area of eucalyptus that was "difficult to access and increased in intensity at several points."
The other active front, facing west, "was half a kilometer wide and was consuming a zone of bush and eucalyptus trees."
There also was a strong wind that hampered the work of firefighters.
The fire was declared extinguished at 9:08 this evening with 545 firefighters and support staff having been involved, helped by eight aircraft and eight earthmoving machines during the day.
Photos from the Mayor of Almodóvar via Facebook
