INFERNO HELL
BY STEPHEN STEWART s.stewart@dailyrecord.co.uk came to the house and told us we all had to evacuate immediately as the fire was about to hit us.
“We very quickly packed a few things, locked all windows and doors, and left.”
Former Royal Military Police soldier Suzanne added: “As we got in the car, the flames appeared over our balcony.
“Everyone was in a panic on the streets, trying to get to safety.
“You could hear emergency sirens everywhere. People were covering their nose and mouth with masks as you just couldn’t breathe and visibility was awful.
“There were fire trucks and police everywhere trying to evacuate everyone. It was like something out of a movie.”
The family safely made their way to a hotel about an hour from Silves.
Suzanne said: “After a day or two, we were allowed to go briefly back to the house to collect the rest of our belongings.
“We were not ready for the devastation we encountered. The fire did reach our house and on entering it we were just overcome with the smoke, the smell of burning and the sheer amount of ash and debris surrounding us.
“Miraculously, despite all that, our belongings were OK.
“There were still fires burning over our wall, so we worked desperately to try to put the fires out.”
At the weekend, authorities said the blaze, which started near the village of Monchique and had been raging for a week, was finally under control.
More than 20 firefighters were among 42 people injured and about 300 people were evacuated from their homes.
Suzanne said: “My heart breaks for the wildlife, those who lost their livelihood and the 50,000-plus acres of land left completely destroyed.
“We were the lucky ones, we came home, but my heart breaks for those left behind to cope with the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Wildfires have charred 531,000 acres in Portugal this summer – an area almost the size of Luxembourg. The Portuguese government declared the wildfires a national disaster and requested financial aid from the European Union.
Suzanne said: “We watched air support, including planes and helicopters, dropping water on the burning mountains opposite our holiday home.
“Each and every one of those soldiers, volunteers and firefighters deserves a medal.
“We tried to end our holiday on a high note by surprising our daughters with a trip to the local water park, where they both enjoyed swimming with dolphins.”
Suzanne was nominated as a Community Hero at the Daily Record’s Our Heroes awards in 2015.
She beat cervical cancer after being diagnosed while expecting Aaron and became Scotland’s first Cancer Research UK Ambassador.
She is also a qualified cervical cancer support group leader.