Portugal fires today: Tourists flee Odemira as wildfire inferno spreads to Algarve in 46C heat

Hundreds of tourists have scrambled to evacuate their holiday resorts in Portugal as a wildfire inferno ripped across the country during a new 46C heatwave.

The wildfire started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, but it has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal’s most popular tourist destinations.

Around 1,400 people have now been evacuated as hundreds of firefighters battle the intense blaze, nine of whom have been injured. Blockades have also been put in place across several roads, with over 100 tourists scrambling out of their hotels to safety across tourist sites in Odemira.

Odemira’s mayor, Helder Guerreiro, called the situation “critical, difficult and complex” while Civil Protection commander Jose Ribeiro said there was a “lot of work” ahead to bring the wildfire under control.

“The weather conditions we are going to experience in the coming days means any small occurrence (fire) could become a big one,” Civil Protection secretary of state Patricia Gaspar told a news conference.

Portuguese weather agency IPMA on Monday put six districts in the country, including the capital, Lisbon, on red alert for extreme heat until midnight.

Authorities have declared more than 120 municipalities across Portugal at maximum risk of wildfires.

“The weather conditions we are going to experience in the coming days means any small occurrence (fire) could become a big one,” Civil Protection secretary of state Patricia Gaspar told a news conference.

Three districts in Portugal‘s north were placed under red alert on Tuesday as temperatures were expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) in the northern city of Castelo Branco.

Hundreds of firefighters scrambled on Tuesday to put out a blaze raging in southern Portugal that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and forced the precautionary evacuation of around 1,400 people.

The wildfire started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, but has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal‘s top tourist destinations.

A town and municipality in the Beja District, Odemira’s population was recorded in 2011 as 26,066. Spanning 1720.60 km², it is the largest municipality of Portugal by area. It is famous for its wild beaches.

The wildfire, currently being tackled by over 800 firefighters, started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, but has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal‘s top tourist destinations.

The blaze has now spread to the interior woodland in the Algarve.

High temperatures and strong winds are complicating efforts to combat the flames, which have destroyed around 6,700 hectares of land. Shortly before sunset on Monday, the sky in Odemira turned dark as a huge smoke cloud filled the air.

Three districts in Portugal‘s north were placed under red alert on Tuesday as temperatures were expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) in the northern city of Castelo Branco.

The Met Office has issued a key weather update across Spain, Portugal and Africa as wildfires rage across some of Portugal’s most popular tourist hotspots.

“Temperatures have increased across Spain, Portugal and North Africa in recent days, widely into the mid 30s °C, if not into the low to mid 40s °C”, the Met Office’s statement, released via X, read.

“The heat is expected to extend further north and east by midweek, before temperatures return closer to average by the weekend.”