UPDATE Fire in concluaion: 08:45- Personnel 188 | Vehicles 74

UPDATE: 18:30 - Personnel 258 | Vehicles 91 | Aircraft 8

“It was necessary to stop the traffic on A2, both ways, due to smoke,” said a Civil Protection source to Lusa news agency, adding that the road was now open to traffic.

Currently the fire is being fought by currently being fought by 171 personnel, 54 vehicles and 8 aircraft.

Posts on social media showed large tailbacks on the motorway as many people travelling from the north of the country to the Algarve for the weekend were forced to wait until the smoke cleared for safety reasons.

Authorities received the first notice of the fire at 12:09pm which continues to burn across a rural area “without endangering buildings” and without causing any damage, the source said.

Wind intensity is the “main difficulty” being encountered by firefighters in the fire which is located in the Vale Figueira area, near to São Bartolomeu de Messine in the Silves municipality