RTL’s Pit Everling spoke to a Luxembourgish family who were forced to leave their holiday accommodation for safety reasons.
Online entrepreneur Joe Koener and his family intended to spend several months in Portugal, renting a house on the Atlantic coast on the border between the Algarve and Alentejo regions.
Last Saturday, a small fire broke out in the vicinity of their accommodation, but within 48 hours it had become a vast blaze engulfing the area, with over 500 fire fighters battling the flames on the ground.
Koener said it was impossible to overlook the flames and the smoke from their home. “The flames were reaching 30 metres high, we could see them from five kilometres away. It almost looked as though the whole back garden was on fire.”
As the fire appeared to be approaching their home, the family made the decision to pack their belongings.
“We decided it wasn’t worth taking any risks as the flames were getting closer. We didn’t want to play with fire, so to speak. At that extent, it was so unpredictable. The land is so dry down there, it hasn’t rained properly in around six months.”
The family was able to stay with friends over the past few days, while Koener himself travelled to Luxembourg for a two-day work trip. The house itself is still standing, he said, but many friends had lost their homes, with the fire ravaging their properties and gardens.
Koener praised the Portuguese emergency services for their response to the wildfires. The authorities had immediately put counter measures in place, with well-coordinated rescue efforts. He added that the organisation in Portugal was significantly better than a wildfire incident he had experienced in France in 2022, when he and his family had to undergo emergency evacuation.
