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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Western Isles News Agency & Gemma Ryder

Duncan Bannatyne forced to flee Portuguese home with wife as wildfire rips through Algarve

Scots entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne and his wife had to flee from their Portuguese mansion as wildfire ripped through the Algarve on Wednesday.

Portugal is experiencing scorching temperatures and some parts are exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Clydebank -born Mr Bannatyne, 73, now lives full time with wife Nigora, 42, in Vale do Lobo - where a fire broke out as it spread from the north to the south of Portugal yesterday.

He took to Twitter to tell his followers that he and his family were evacuated after flames spread through the resort where he lives amid a heatwave.

He wrote: 'Terrible day in the Algarve today. We have survived but it was a bit scary. Yes. We had to leave our homes today but luckily very few properties were damaged.'

He added that they were "evicted" from their home but "luckily most fires were contained by early evening". The former Dragon's Den star also shared footage of a helicopter which scooped up water from the sea, saying: 'They are doing a fantastic job.'

Duncan Bannatyne shared a video showing the fires that are ripping through the resort. (@DuncanBannatyne)

He also posted a video of the emergency services and fire brigade arriving near his home, admitting he couldn't go back until the paths had been cleared.

Duncan Bannatyne and his wife Nigora Whitehorn. (Wire image)

He was heard telling Nigora in the clip: 'So we can't go home because they are blocking the road down to our house. 'Maybe the fire has started again.

As Nigora can be heard saying: "S*** what do we do next?" Duncan replies: "Nothing we do except stay here for the moment".' He then added: "Was a hell of a day in the Algarve today."

The Bannatynes live in Portugal's premium Golden Triangle area, where the spas of Vale do Lobo, Quinta do Lago, Vilamoura and Pine Cliffs are located.

Residents react and try to fight the fire as they see the forest lands around their houses burning on July 13, 2022 in Albergaria a Velha, Portugal. (Getty Images)

He bought a luxury five-bedroom villa in a prime spot in Vale do Lobo, paying around £2.5million ( 3million) for it in 2014. It is now said to be worth around £5million ( 5.9million) but Mr Bannatyne recently bought another property in the ware which overlooks the sea.

Around 70 people were asked to leave their upmarket homes in the exclusive Pinheiros Altos where Steven Gerrard and John Terry own properties, with the flames reaching just 550 yards from Roman Abramovich's £8.5million Algarve mansion.

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