Portuguese wildfire loss estimated at some €10m

The wildfire that raged for a week in the Monchique area, in southern Algarve region of Portugal, caused damage estimated at around 10 million euros, Mayor of Monchique Rui Andre said Friday in a statement.

"It's still too early to carry out a full survey. Some houses were affected, most of which not in total but with loss to people, and we also have on a municipal infrastructural level a considerable amount ... The estimate totals around 10 million euros," he said.

The wildfire near Monchique, a town some 250 km south of Lisbon, have caused 39 injuries, including an old woman in a serious condition and led several villages to be evacuated along with a hotel. A total of 26,957 hectares of forest have been destroyed.

Portuguese Internal Affairs Minister Eduardo Cabrita said on Friday that the "great victory" has been won in fighting the wildfire as there was no single death while stressing the "notable" operation of the National Civil Protection Authority in battling the flames.