A fire tore through the Horta da Areia social housing estate in Faro early this Tuesday afternoon, 13 October, destroying at least two prefabricated homes and several outbuildings and leaving 29 people displaced. No injuries were reported, and the blaze was brought under control about an hour after the alarm was raised.
The alert came at around 1pm, André Cardoso de Morais, commander of Faro's Bombeiros Sapadores, told journalists. The displaced belong to several families, he said, though it is not yet clear how many households are affected.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Firefighters were monitoring the smouldering remains this afternoon, with 42 personnel and 15 vehicles at the scene.
Faro City Council’s social services are supporting those affected and will try to arrange temporary accommodation.
Mayor António Pina told reporters from the local newspaper Sul Informação that “nobody will be left without a roof over their head tonight”. The council has set up a temporary accommodation area at the Faro Municipal Swimming Pools complex, where families who cannot find another solution can sleep and have access to food and washing facilities. Some of those families have young children.
“Our concern right now is to identify every case and make sure nobody is left without a roof over their head,” he said.
He described the arrangement as a temporary stopgap. The council is in touch with Social Security and its network partners to find a more lasting solution.
That solution will not involve council housing, Mr Pina said: “We have no homes available; all municipal housing is occupied.”
The mayor also pointed to the “unauthorised overcrowding” in the four homes that burned down, two of which were initially identified as outbuildings.
Source: LUSA / Sul Informação
Photo credit: Marisa Rodrigues
