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The Fire of '23
🕑 Added 2023-08-16 17:54:41 +0000 UTCOk it's been a just over a week now since the huge wildfire tore through our valley, the dust and ash has settled and we've started to get back to normal life.
I've took a look over some of the footage I got (mostly shaky phone unfortunately) to watch the chilling few days back since we were living it.
It started as a very normal day, I was building a bench for the deck, engrossed in it, until I heard two fire planes overhead. Nothing unusual there, but when they returned back overhead 20 seconds later still dripping water I felt the blood drain from my face. Looking up over the tree line, Smoke was filling the sky.
Within 10 mins we were packed down and out, we had a preplanned fire evacuation point the other side of the mountain and upon arrival I started to think perhaps this was a slight over reaction. It didn't take long to realise our decision was the right one, The road we had driven on, the nearby village we'd driven through, our valley and the mountain itself was on fire, flames reaching 30ft in the air, jumping incredible distances to reach the other side of the valley and whipped into flaming tornados by violent wind. Even our evac. point was no longer safe, we left and it too was burnt come morning.
We had to wait 4 days to be able to return, while over 1000 Bombeiros & 14 air units battled the fires that broke out into 4 fronts. Until our area was put out we would just be in their way.
The entire area is scorched, the fire was so big the smoke could be seen from space, driving back through was not a pleasant experience to say the least and I was convinced we'd lost the land, but by some miracle it was spared.
Above are a few stills to give you an idea of the scale of it all. and the last two photos you can see just how close it got to us.
We now look out over a bare and blackened mountain, which is sad to see, but also serves as a constant reminder at how lucky we are and how grateful to the Bombeiros (Fireservice) we are as they had fought the fire literally at our door step. They were all over the place when we returned and it was clear without them our place would have gone up. They didn't have to stop the fire here, the nearest village is another mile or so up the hill, but they did.
I'm still a little lost for words about the whole situation, so it's probably a good thing I've got 7-8 more videos before this one 😆 maybe by then I'll have re-grouped a bit. But it's definitely been an "interesting" few weeks.
Portugal life! 🤷🏼♂️ this was one of our nightmares and it came true, but because we feared it we planned for it, our plan was put into place and we are ok. No reported deaths, only 11 injuries, but thousands of square miles burnt.
There will be something coming up in the Broken Down series that was filmed way before all this that now holds a whole new meaning for me, you'll see it shortly.
Feeling extremely lucky right now.
As I typed that some ash just blew in through the door.
Take care,
C.J
Comments
del thomson
In Portugal approximately 600 people have been placed under investigation over suspicions of deliberately setting fires, police said according to RTP. RTP found that dozens of probable perpetrators of arson in forests and wasteland had been arrested, while many more are still on the loose.5 Aug 2023. WHY. Del...
James Chamberlain
hope you are all ok
James
https://fb.watch/mAJ4WcXLIy/ Just incase you fancy Amber mk2
Ewenb
Glad your all ok. Can i ask , when you left Sweden to head home please? What do you prefer… heat or cold?
Catherine Carlton
So glad you're all safe. See you soon maybe on the road somewhere 👍👍
Gary Baker
Brilliant news everyone is ok and your spot in paradise survived 👍 It just goes to show how quickly you have to react in situations life that. take care and stay safe😁
Sandor Horvath
Glad your safe and all ok!!
Chas House
Good to hear you are all safe!! Also good to hear nobody died!! Hopefully the village you mentioned wasn't destroyed or too badly damaged! I bet you had a huge sigh of relief on your return that all was safe. Huge respect for all the firefighters who tackled the fires they must be exhausted bless them. The aftermath will not look pretty but hopefully everything will not take too long to regenerate. You all take care mate!!
TJ Clark
glad to hear you and yours are safe.
Clare
Glad to hear you’re okay, after following The Indie Project I can see how terrifying these situations could be. Stay safe 👍
Phil Rogers
Wow that's the stuff squeaky bums are made of, just so close to you guys....thank goodness it was stopped where it was
Margaret Butler
That sounds extremely close cj,glad there's no deaths,take ur times guys,thinking of u all 🏴
Darren Swaby
So good to hear you're all safe and got away without any damage. Hope others around there will soon recover. Take care .
Graham
Looking on the bright side...your area will be safer for the next few years as all the fuel has been burnt away and soon new green growth will appear as Nature repairs herself. Happens here in Oz all the time. Stay safe guys.
Wendy Newark
🫨🫨 what!!! Think I would of left a brown parcel if I'd of been there! Thank f..k ya safe. A slight contrast in temperature from your last vid. Bet you keep saying to yourself thank god we had a plan..that worked. Be daft not to. Keep safe 👍
Andie Frogley
So very happy that you, Emma and Lance are all safe and well! Definitely a heart in throat for us, so cannot imagine what it was like for you both xx
Christian Herald
Yeah that's uh, that's the world anymore, things keep burning down. If your story here is exactly spot on so far as the timeline, then the only thing I'd question, what if you hadn't noticed the planes overhead (head down, lost in your work) and were delayed by a further 10-20 minutes in starting your packout? Fires have always been a concern of mine with living in densely wooded areas, despite the immense appeal of such sites. Certainly good you had a fire evac plan established; there will probably be future incidents. This sort of situation would make me hesitant to do any sort of major mechanical work on-site that would immobilize the vehicles. I'd probably have to see a different map of the fire or different aerial imagery to understand what areas of the fire were contained by the fire service as opposed to any other mitigating landscape features. Certainly hats off to those showing up to battle nature's ever increasing fury. I always think this sort of event is tragic for it's impact on the animals and ecosystem, good no people were fatally injured, but still these things are always a lose, not just for the beauty of the landscape scarred. I hope the air quality is within tolerances for you to remain in the area. As these events crop up ever more frequently, it is now strange to think that someone I know of (you), is now, at least in small part for the temporary displacement, a climate refugee of sorts. I suppose, with adequate planning, situational awareness, reasonable detection/warning time, one advantage then of the mobile lifestyle you're setup for, even in the event of more severe site-impacts to your property, not all would be lost, as opposed to those with fully fixed property developments that could burn in their entirety. Glad you've fared well enough through it, stay agile, stay safe. And do try to keep a good mindset about these things, stay in awe/respect/fascination of nature, rather than becoming oppressed/beleaguered by the devastation of these times. Cheers! -Christian
STEVEN VENN
Jesus that was close! someone is on your side CJ 🙏😳
Simon Barrett
Wow that was close! Glad no one was seriously injured and I’m glad your home wasn’t destroyed!
Jon Every
The important thing is that your all safe. Homes can be rebuilt but lives can't . My sister and her family were evacuated from Rhodes 2 days into their holiday as the fire was on the hill behind their hotel and then again the next night after being evacuated further away the day before. Holiday was ruined but they're alive to have another. Shout out to the local volunteer who off their own back took them in their own car to a hotel closer to the airport and paid for a room for the night for them out of their own money
Stephen Baggaley
Chuff me that was a close shave pal, glad you are both well and the land intact,looks like another 200 yards and it could be very different, stay safe the pair of ya 👍
Pete Etheridge
I'm so glad that you're all ok and that your land was spared the worst of it. I can't imagine how scary the situation must have been, but you had planned for it and, if not, there could have been a far worse outcome. Take solace in the fact that you thought ahead. Those woodlands will take a long time to heal but you will see fresh growth again very soon. Nature has been dealing with fires since before humans walked this planet - it will overcome & I hope that those fresh shoots also bring you both some consolation.
Chris Evans
Jeez, that is super close dude. So glad you’re all okay.
TheDans34
Glad to hear that you are okay , hope the injured people heal quickly and life can return to "normal" for them and yourselfs
Thomas Rodde
Good to hear you’re OK, and that the land has been spared is a plus. I’m in Spain so I know pretty well how these fires can play out. This fire made it into the news here. The evacuation plan was probably your best idea since you bought that land…
Sharon hilton
Firstly,glad you are safe. Well done for having your plan and using it. Sorry for anyone affected there. Bravo to the firefighters. I can,t imagine how difficult it must feel to deal with it all. Look after yourselves and be kind to yourselves after such a shock. Stay safe and strong.
Dmal
Glad you’re all ok and the land was spared. Wild fires are scary we help the fire service around here when we have moor fires and they’re scary enough but those in Portugal are a different level 😬
Stephen Monaghan
We drove through your area last Thursday. The damage is frightening and it's easy to understand why the firefighters have such a hard time - it's very difficult terrain. Brave men and women, the lot of them. Glad to hear you lot escaped unscathed. Your preparations paid dividends. Stay safe and stay positive. Looking forward to the next video (fingers crossed your laptop has stopped its hissy fit). Stephen & Majella
Tom Bird
In situations like this, you can never be over-prepared. Better to have an evacuation plan you can complete in just 10mins than be complacent and find everything gone up in smoke. Glad the fires didn’t reach you
Sue B
O my, that looks so scary 😨 you were so lucky not to lose your land, somebody is looking down on you ❤️
stephen reed
Sounds like a close call, glad everyone is safe
Dreaded scots lass
Glad you guys and your land is safe ❤
Joe Brown
Wow that was a close call!!
Carole Morley
Holy hell! Thank goodness you are all ok
Normabeth Conrad
Take care guys... you made the right choices and you are all OK! 💚
steve lambourne
Glad your all ok bud, stay safe
David P
Oh my days! Yeah a little close for comfort ay. Hope no one was killed or injured around you vicinity. All the best to all
David
Stay safe buddy
Neil Piper
Bloody hell......I'd say more but.....bloody hell will have to do. Glad you are alright mate
