Portugal's "wildfire season" has been effectively extended to between two and five months in recent yearsJoao Redondo, who was taking his place on Tondela’s bus as a team captain, wanted to forget about the defeat that had knocked him side out of Portugal Cup in round 3.The general manager sat at the front of coach next to driver and had ample time to reflect on the afternoon's 3-2 loss to Leixoes. They were stuck in traffic. Although this was not unusual, it seemed odd.The bus was able to get around the traffic jams on the A25 motorway. It took only 150km to get back from Leixoes ground in Matosinhos in the north-west to Tondela in central Portugal. It was a straightforward trip in theory. They didn't know what was ahead.After driving through Vouzela, the team was only 40km away from their home. Then, suddenly, after turning, they were surrounded by a wildfire. The scene was chaotic. Parts of flaming trees flew through air, making a sound that resembled the roaring ocean.Redondo could not believe his eyes. Redondo told Luis Chaves that he had to stop. Chaves didn't listen. He thought it was too dangerous to turn the bus around quickly because of its size. He said, "I must go through it, it is necessary for me to do so."So, the Tondela team jumped into the unknown on October 15, 2017, driving literally through the flames.Joao Ricardo, then goalkeeping coach at Tondela, recalls that "the flames were coming out from everywhere and from all sides.""Some wanted to go ahead, while others did not. Although it was obvious that there was a risk, if the bus had stopped, it would have also been a danger. It was possible that we could have caused an accident, or even been caught in the flames."The heat in the bus was unbearable as we drove by," he said. It was amazing.Minutes later, other members of the Tondela team, who had returned from the game separately, arrived at the same spot. The fire had completely engulfed the road by that point and they couldn’t get through. They had to turn around and flee, taking the wrong route on one of Portugal's busiest roads.Redondo adds, "If you ask my opinion if I felt afraid, I didn't feel scared at the time, because we weren’t fully aware the danger, and the risks of this situation.""But, we could have been killed there."Tondela's training and stadium were both affected by the fires.Ricardo Costa, defender, would later speak of the "burning bits of tree" that hit the bus as it traveled back to Tondela (population 29,000.) The picture became calmer as they approached the city. It appeared that the worst was over.Manager Pepa and his team of coaches decided to get something to eat on the outskirts. They were not sure if the fire would catch them again. It did.Ricardo reports that after being in the restaurant for some time, he heard something strange coming from the hills."Soon, we realized it was the blaze heading our way. It was terrifying."We went to Tondela's centre and found chaos - gas cylinders were exploding, cars racing to escape. It was something I'd never seen before."This is a place you don't usually see anyone on the streets after 7pm. It was past 10 on that day and everyone was desperate to get away.The coaching team became confused and ended up being separated. There was no reception. Pepa and his assistant Pedro Oliveira remained close friends.Oliveira says, "We stayed in Pepa’s house – we were safe there. It was right next to a fire station.""But Pepa stated that we were all healthy and young, so what are you doing? We must go out and help. Wet clothes were placed over our mouths and noses to protect them from the smoke."It was about 4 a.m. when we returned. We took an elderly man in critical condition to the hospital, among other things.Helder Tavares, a midfielder, was also seen running through the streets during the fires. He was helping to connect to a firehydrant with his neighbours so that they could extinguish a nearby factory that they were afraid might explode. He later went to check on Claudio Ramos (a nearby goalkeeper). They thought about driving to safety, but couldn't.Costa, a veteran defender, was hiding in the basement of his hotel."There were flames and fire above the fire. He told the Record newspaper that it was chaos."The hotel was filled with smoke, and the alarms were going off. With wet towels covering our faces, we had to run to the basement. This was plan B. Plan C was to go into the pool."Everything was burning around us, there was no escape."51 people died in the fires that day. Many of those trapped inside vehicles were trying to flee the flames. It was the second-deadliest wildfire in Portugal for that year. Sixty-six people had been killed in a fire near Pedrogao Grande, just a few months prior.Firefighters take a break during the wildfires in central Portugal, June 2017.Although forest fires are a part of Portugal's daily life, and can help to control pest and disease damage, what 2017 saw was extraordinary. A total of 5,000km of land were destroyed. This is more than three times as large as London.It was the most extensive area of fire ever recorded in Portugal. This was also the worst natural disaster in Portugal's modern history, with an estimated economic loss of 1bn euros.Climate change is worsening the situation.Climate change is increasing the likelihood of wildfire-fuelling hot and dry weather. The world has warmed by 1.2C since the Industrial Era began. Temperatures will continue rising unless there are drastic cuts made to carbon emissions.As wildfires continue to ravage parts of California and Greece, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a crucial report that warned of a "code Red" for humanity. It warns about increasing extreme heatwaves, droughts, flooding, and a key temperature limit that will be broken in just over 10 years.According to the European Environment Agency, there will be an increase in fire-prone areas and longer fire season across the continent. However, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey will still be the countries most at risk of a total fire disaster.Portugal's 'wildfire season,' in its recent years, has effectively been extended to two to five more months.To extinguish a flame near their homes in Macao (south of Tondela), July 2019, villagers carry water bucketsPortugal, which lies on Europe's southern-west coast, faces the Atlantic. It is a warm country that is supported by strong winds from the ocean. While geography is one thing, many believe that the authorities are also to blame.Widely criticised was the 2017 response to the 2017 fires, especially the lack of a warning system as well as the insufficient number professionals to respond to the blazes. Volunteer firefighters make up the majority of firefighters in this country.These deaths put Prime Minister Antonio Costa's government under intense scrutiny. It led to resignations by the Interior Minister, and the head National Civil Protection Authority.Since then, the government has pledged to improve its forest management.The front cover of Jornal de Noticias read "The Devil was on Free," on the morning 16 October 2017.Many homes were destroyed in Tondela and surrounding areas. The fire reached the training facility of the club, but it was spared.Despite the poor air quality, they had to train inside for the week ahead.Redondo states that everyone had to use the masks now in common due to the pandemic. "The air quality was terrible and I had to seek treatment. My throat was blocked."Tondela requested the postponement for their next home match. It was natural in these circumstances. Their opponents Belenenses SAD refused their request.Tondela immediately cut all ties with Lisbon. They did their best to prepare for the weekend. They won a 2-0 victory on the pitch as fans sang for the firefighters. There were many tears in the stands and on the field.Tondela, despite having one of the lowest budgets in the league, have managed to stay up and avoid relegation for six consecutive seasons. They are the only major football force from Portugal's central regions, which is a neglected and underrepresented region compared to the areas around Porto or Lisbon.They finished 11th in the 2017-18 season for their highest ever top-flight finish. This was a moment of genuine joy for people who had experienced such trauma many months prior.It may sound cliché, but this story is more than just football. Oliveira says that it's about people who deserve more in life.When nobody slept, October 2017 was the night when club and fan bonds were at their strongest.Tondela is wishing for quiet summer, with a new season in full swing and the memories of the wildfires still fresh.
