The mayor of Odemira estimates damage at about 10 million euros

The mayor of Odemira, Helder Guerreiro (PS), estimated on Tuesday that the damage caused by the fire that broke out in the area exactly one month ago and affected various sectors of the economy could amount to about 10 million euros.

In tourism alone, “we are talking about more than 2.7 million euros of direct damage, either because there were cancellations” or because “people [que] left the tourist bases,” the mayor told the Lusa news agency.

According to the socialist, of this total loss of 2.7 million euros in tourism, “0.1 million was due to returns from people who were waiting to leave because of the fire; 0.4 million for cancellations and 2.2 million for physical damage” to tourist accommodations affected by the fire. .

Although the damage assessment process for the fire, which “affected a very large number of economic activities” in the municipality of Odemira, Beja district, is still “finalizing”, Helder Guerreiro said the total could be around 10 million euros.

“If tourism is 2.7 million euros, I believe it can reach 10 million euros in terms of forestry, land use planning and house building. [destruídas]”appreciated.

“Now we had to add some losses, including the city council, which had a very wide set of features [destruída]. It won’t be much, but in terms of material damage, it’s still something,” he said.

Speaking to Lusa, the mayor said that one of the biggest problems is related to “some residential buildings” whose property has been “completely lost” and whose residents “now need support.”

Affected residents remain “at friends’ houses” but once there is “a decision to rebuild or rebuild houses,” the situation will go through “the process of relocating to some of the houses that the municipality has available,” he said. added.

The agricultural and tourism sectors also suffered “very large direct losses” and “even emergency solutions are needed,” he said. As for the forest, the socialist mayor said the damage caused by last August’s fire needs to be assessed, as well as “the work that needs to be done in the future so that the forest mosaic is more sustainable and able not to spread to forests.” the fires of this dimension.”

The fire, which started on August 5, was believed to have been contained at 10:15 am on the 9th, six days after it broke out in a brush and pine forest area in the Bayonne area, in the parish of San. Teotonio, municipality of Odemira.

The fire even engulfed the Algarve municipalities of Monchique and Aljezur. The area of ​​fires is about 8,400 hectares, with a perimeter of 50 kilometers.