‘We survived but it was a bit scary’: Duncan Bannatyne reveals he and his wife were forced to flee their Portuguese mansion after a forest fire spread through the Algarve
Duncan Bannatyne has revealed he and his wife had to flee his Portuguese mansion after a forest fire ravaged the Algarve amid high temperatures.
The former Dragons Den star, 73, now lives full-time with wife Nigora, 42, in Vale do Lobo – where a fire broke out on Wednesday as it spread from the north to the south of Portugal.
Duncan went to Twitter to tell his followers that he and his family were forced to leave their home after flames spread across the resort where he lives during a heat wave.
Shock: Duncan Bannatyne has revealed he and wife Nigora (pictured in November) had to flee his Portuguese mansion after a fire ravaged the Algarve
He wrote: ‘Terrible day in the Algarve today. We survived, but it was a little scary. Yes. We had to leave our houses today, but fortunately very few properties were damaged.’
The entrepreneur also shared footage of a helicopter scooping water from the sea and said, “They’re doing a fantastic job.”
He also posted video of emergency services and firefighters arriving near his home, admitting he couldn’t return until the trails were cleared.
He heard Nigora say in the clip, “So we can’t go home because they’re blocking the way to our house.
Wildfires: The former Dragons Den star, 73, took to Twitter to tell his followers he and his family were forced to leave their home after flames spread through the resort where he lives
“Maybe the fire has started again. As Nigora can hear say, “S**t what do we do now?” Duncan replies, “We’re doing nothing but staying here for the time being.”‘
Then he added: ‘It was a great day in the Algarve today.’
Duncan also took to Twitter to share more videos as the fire spread through the resort, saying, “Vale Do Lobo entrance earlier today.”
He shared an update on the fire, adding: “We were evicted here today, but luckily most of the fires were under control early in the evening.”
‘We had to leave our homes’: Duncan took to Twitter to share regular updates with his 710,000 followers after he and wife Nigora were forced to leave their home amid wildfires
The businessman also praised emergency services for “fantastic” work as firefighters continued to fight wildfires as temperatures rose this week.
Duncan lives in the premium Golden Triangle area of Portugal, where the spa towns of Vale do Lobo, Quinta do Lago, Vilamoura and Pine Cliffs are located.
He bought a five-bedroom luxury villa in a prime location in Vale do Lobo and paid around £2.5 million (€3 million) for it in 2014.
It is now said to be worth around £5million (€5.9million), but Duncan recently bought another property in the wares that overlooks the sea.
Heat wave: A firefighter watches the flames at a house threatened by fire in the Ludo area of Faro in the Algarve on Wednesday
Amid a blistering heat wave, fires have ravaged parts of Portugal, where temperatures soar to 45°C this week, including a luxury resort for the rich and famous.
About 70 people were asked to vacate their luxury homes in exclusive Pinheiros Altos, where Steven Gerrard and John Terry own properties, with flames reaching just 500 meters from Roman Abramovich’s £8.5 million home in the Algarve.
Elsewhere, a fire threatening Quinta do Lago started late Tuesday night near Algarve University and in an area where a four-day international motorcycle festival will begin on Thursday.
At home: Duncan (pictured with his wife Nigora in June 2019) bought a five-bedroom luxury villa in the premium Golden Triangle area in Vale do Lobo, paying around £2.5 million for it in 2014