Speaking to Lusa News Agency around 7:30am, a source from the District Command for Relief Operations (CDOS) in Beja explained that the fire is divided into five sectors, one of which has been subdued, the other is under surveillance, and in the rest the fire “seems to be giving way” to the firefighters.
“For this reason, this morning the workers on the ground will be repositioned in order to increase combat effectiveness and create accesses in some areas where there was no access to the fire with the use of tracking machines”.
The repositioning of means, according to the source, aims to dominate the perimeter of the fire so that it does not develop or spread any further.
According to the source, the fire did not spread to the municipality of Silves, remaining in Odemira and in the municipality of Monchique.
"There was no need throughout the night to evacuate more people or evacuate localities, there are no homes at risk, no injuries to register," the source said.
At 7:30am, the fire mobilised 674 workers, with the support of 234 vehicles and an aircrafts.
Commander Pedro Araújo, from the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), had previously told Lusa, at around 6am, that the fire was beginning to "give in".
The flames have already caused a serious injury, a 20-year-old civilian who suffered burns and was transported to hospital, and a firefighter was also assisted on the spot for having suffered a sprain.
Firefighters received at 1:14pm on 18 August the alert for the fire, which began near João Martins, in the parish of Sabóia, in the municipality of Odemira.