It was a tough few days last week. Out of the blue, wildfires broke out all over northern Portugal. It was really strange. It was so hot and dry throughout August and we were really expecting wildfires. In September it was a bit milder at first and then the wildfires started everywhere. It was a really unpleasant and stressful situation.
There was always a lot of smoke in the air over the days and the sun turned reddish. It was a special atmosphere and it felt like the whole village was holding its breath for several days. It was very quiet and you couldn't hear any birds singing. The air smelled of smoke.
We heard from our neighbors and friends via smartphone how much they were affected by the fire. We very much hope that everything will turn out well for them again soon.
We are very happy and grateful that we were lucky on our farm, but it also made us more alert. In Portugal, there is always this danger of wildfires. For this reason, we will soon be cleaning the blackberries at the back of our property and preparing the entire farm for fire, for which we are always happy to have helping hands. We also had some interesting conversations with the neighbors afterwards about how best to behave. Lots of things to think about to make the farm even safer in the future.