Fire?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:34 am

It is a strange world....yes I read the few lines about the two UK firefighters that died...extremely sad......here in UK we do have the means and usually an excellent fire force...but not always.....when my house suffered a loft fire the fire brigade arrived minus water...after about an hour and a half when I had lost my house and everything in it...and after the local hydrants had failed...they managed to get water from a pool...but too late and we walked away with only the clothes we wore.......and if you think the firemen have a duty to put water on your fire you are wrong.they only have to turn up..not put it out. ..and ..check your Insurance..my contents only paid us 20% of what we lost..(Its called averaging..they all do it)...SO...yes here we have the means and often do a bad job...in Portugal they dont have the means....but usually the firemen do try hard...Ive seen them last year during the fires..but I also understand the guest that couldnt see any fire fighters on Monchique.....they dont have nearly enough available....and Im sure many many properties that burned didnt see a fireman either....

Just a footnote....The helicopters they are using right now are fly swatters....Portugal doesnt own the big ones we saw year that came I beleive from Italy.....and the local ones carry miniscule amounts of water...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 12:13 pm

Just checked the temp at Faro at 12.30 and showing 104 but conditions smokey!!

dutchie · Post by **dutchie** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:32 pm

http://www.nu.nl/
photo of the firemen in Portugal yesterday!
sorry, it is in dutch, but it says that hundreds of acres are destroyed, several beaches had to be cleared,
there is fire on 6 different spots, 5 houses burned down completely, people have been evacuated. Near Sétubal the fire is under control.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 4:51 pm

Maybe there is some truth in what guest says 'They don't give a Dam'.....Of course many do care but talking to a 'Camara' official today he told me that although they lack 'Spotters' to report small outbreaks before they get out of control.....the local 'Microlight fraternity' had offered a dawn to dusk patrol on a volunteer basis..only had to pay for fuel....The camara rejected this , in his words...Only politics and money matter ....and as nobody was making anything out of this...it was rejected...His words not mine.....apparently there were huge 'Imported' helicopters out yesterday.....lots of money in that he told me........Explain that to the poor people who have lost their home....Does the everage 'Camara' person care....no not really ....

dutchie · Post by **dutchie** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 6:48 pm

I don't think you will finf that in Portugal alone.....
Driving from Carvoeiro to Ferragudo an hour ago we saw a new outbirst of thick brown clouds between the N125 and the MonChique, close to Portimao and Ferragudo/Estombar/Parchal. I made a few pictures but don't know how to put them on this site. Maybe anybody can tell me?

judge · Post by **judge** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:51 pm

I think that Steve and Mandy are doing something for the Lagoa firebrigade in November.

Does anybody have some more details about this ?

Maybe we can put some money where our fingers are...

dutchie · Post by **dutchie** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:00 pm

good idea! Let me know too?

Eiteews_ · Post by **Eiteews_** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:14 pm

The fires towards Monchique look pretty big tonight, my boyfriend took this picture from Salicos about half an hour ago:

A brighter version of the same image:

I don't envy the people who're living near there. Lets hope it looks worse than it is.

karen · Post by **karen** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:20 pm

Just watching the main news on ITV where the fires south of Lisbon hit the headlines. I understand they have been raging in a national park, for over 24 hours and have caused chaos in the area.
After two visits already this year and a third in September I know the tourist numbers are down and for many it has been a disaster. A shame that the ITN news team chose to open the headline with Trevor Macdonald saying ' Horror for holidaymakers in Portugal '..................... Hardly a positive and a worry for those at home who are looking forward to their holiday in the Algarve.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:41 am

This is all I could find on Forest Fires, at the moment, but it may help in understanding what type of fire is happening.

http://www.borealforest.org/world/innov ... t_fire.htm

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:48 am

Hardly a positive and a worry for those at home who are looking forward to their holiday in the Algarve.

Poor Babys....

digger · Post by **digger** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:26 am

…..if you were lounging in front of the TV back in Herts or wherever, and Trevor Mcdonnald showed your holiday home going up in smoke..

..then it would be er….hardly a positive….

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:22 am

driving to Carvoeiro this morning it looked clear, no more brown clouds.

dutchie · Post by **dutchie** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:13 pm

fireclouds again on different spots

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 6:04 pm

Hows it going Dutchie?.....ellie