Scores of tourists were evacuated from the two main units in Caldas de Monchique, the popular spring village just south of the main town centre.
One of them, the Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa, was only inaugurated in 2016, and was this past weekend forced to deal with major calamity, evacuating all of its employees and guests to safety in nearby hotels in Portimão and Alvor.
The other hotel unit to be evacuated was the Vila Termal, where the spring spa is located.
In a statement, the Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa said the evacuation was supervised by local firefighters and authorities.
“The evacuation of the hotel due to the active forest fire nearby was a necessary preventive measure, in order to guarantee the highest standards of safety and protection of the guests.
“All guests are safe, with no record of incidents”, the resort said.
Guests were transported to alternative accommodation in other Algarve locations considered safer, in Portimão and the suburb of Alvor.
Regarding the emergency procedure, the director of the hotel unit Rob Veltman commented that “as a precaution”, all the guests were transferred to alternative accommodation.
“We decided to evacuate guests to ensure the highest standards of customer service.
“The Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa will remain closed and will keep guests informed, both those at the hotel and those who have reservations for the coming days”.
On Wednesday, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) revised an earlier warning it had emitted for UK travellers regarding the Algarve fires.
“A major forest fire, which started a number of days ago in the area of Monchique, in the Algarve, has spread to neighbouring municipalities”, it read, adding: “The Portuguese authorities have been evacuating the affected areas. Strong winds in the area make the spread of fire unpredictable.
“For your own safety, travel to the areas where the fires are burning is not advised”.
The FCO continued, advising tourists already here, “if you’re already in the area, follow the instructions of the Portuguese police and Civil Protection authorities”, and stressed “there is an increased risk of forest fires during the summer months; check on the outbreak of fires with the local civil protection authority and report any you may see immediately to the emergency services on 112”.