Britons flee at midnight in Algarve wildfire panic
BRITISH holidaymakers were evacuated from a five-star hotel on the Algarve after a wildfire came within a mile of their resort.
Hundreds of tourists were told to leave the Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa just after midnight and bussed to a resort half an hour away.
Forest fires have been raging in southern Portugal for three days after the country recently recorded one of its hottest ever days.
Temperatures reached 115F (46C) in some parts.
A hotel spokesman said: “We have been liaising with the fire service and local authorities and took a joint decision yesterday evening to transport guests and staff to two other hotels.
“The exercise went extremely smoothly and we continue to monitor the situation with a view to return when any risk has passed.”
A worker at the hotel described the night as “rough”, adding: “Firefighters and the local town hall asked us to evacuate. We could see the flames as the fire was only two kilometres away.”
More than 1,000 firefighters were still tackling the blaze yesterday morning. Footage taken overnight in Monchique showed flames and smoke encroaching on the outskirts of homes. Several buildings and cars were destroyed.
Authorities say they have now brought the blaze under control.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa played down fears of a repeat of last year’s devastating wildfires which killed 64 people and injured more than 250 in the central town of Pedrogao Grande alone.
He said: “This is a confined and limited situation. That is undoubtedly the difference to what happened last year.”