Forest fire ash forces Sheffield Wednesday indoors with pre-season training camp disrupted

The Owls are in the middle of a week-long training camp in the Algarve region of Portugal and have been hard at work at a bespoke training centre since the weekend.

But their Wednesday evening training session had to be moved indoor after a nearby forest fire plumed black smoke into the air and made the air smoky.

Small pieces of ash have been falling from the sky all day and though the source of the fire is a few miles from their base, there is a distinct smell of smoke in the Algarve air.

A heatwave in the area has meant Wednesday are training early in the morning and late in the day, but a decision was made by staff late on Wednesday evening to move a training session originally designated for the grass pitches indoors.

Players instead took part in an intense spinning session in a gym at the resort which was then followed by some gym work.

MORE: ‘Significant’ sponsorship deal the first of its kind in Dejphon Chansiri era as club reveal 91-inspired strips

It is hoped Wednesday will be able to get back out onto the training pitches tomorrow and for the rest of the week but they are in the lap of the gods when it comes to whether the fire will settle down.

It’s not a problem centred locally to the training camp. As of Wednesday morning it was reported by local media there were a total of 272 active forest fires across Portugal as the heatwave continues.