The perimeter of the fire that broke out last Friday in Monchique, Algarve, already surpasses 100 kilometers and this morning 299 people remained evacuated, according to the Civil Protection Authority.
The work overnight to use earth-moving machinery to create firebreaks has paid off but the perimeter of the fire zone has spread to an estimated 100 kilometres, engaging a total of 1,500 firefighters to put out the flames.
The 31 beach first aid posts dotted along the Algarve coast, run by the by the region’s Health Administration and the Portuguese Red Cross, registered 2,067 visits in July including sunstroke, nasty bites and puncture wounds from sea creatures, cuts and insect bites.
Of the total, 1,159 people had treatments and dressings, and 244 were treated for puncture wounds and poisonous stings from Echiichthys vipera, the 'Peixe Aranha' or Lesser weaver fish.
The chairman of the Faro District Civil Protection Commission said today that "it is not good for the Algarve" that the a UK government ministry has issued a warning advising Britons not to travel to areas affected by the fires.
"We have always tried to convey the idea that the Algarve continues to be and is a safe destination and that there are areas of the Algarve where this fire is not happening," said Botelho.
The six day Monchique fire continues on two active fronts, one threatening houses near Fóia and Caldas de Monchique, the other in the Silves municipality.
The Mayor of Monchique, Rui André, said that the firefighters managed to calm the most critical areas.
Portugal's Prime Minister said today that the Monchique fire is the exception that confirms the success of the national firefighting operation.
António Costa, who this morning chaired a National Civil Protection Association meeting, explained the complexity of the Monchique fire’s six day run with a comment worthy of Eric Cantona,
The government’s dangerous dog laws remain in a bureaucratic shambles as only 300 owners have managed to attend the compulsory 'owner's training course.'
There are 18,600 dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs registered in Portugal with many more unregistered animals fitting the two categories.
Staff at the Lynx breeding centre in Silves have moved all the animals to safety in Spain.
Due to the impending and very real threat that the centre will be hit by the current fire, the Institute of Conservation of Nature and Forests ordered the removal of the 29 lynxes held at the National Centre for Reproduction of the Iberian Lynx at Herdade das Santinhas, Silves.
A spill of nitric acid at red fruit company Hubel in Pechão, Olhão, forced the closure of a public road, until the chemical was made safe and removed.
When firefighters arrived at the site, 1,000 litres of the highly toxic and corrosive chemical had spilled from a tank onto the road.
