Firefighters battle wilfires in Portugal

Around 3,000 firefighters are battling more than 60 wildfires raging across Portugal. The fires have broken out amid temperatures of up to 39 degrees Celsius in parts of the country. Firefighters, supported by soldiers and other officials, have been deployed in areas such as the Abrantes region in central Portugal.

Some villages were evacuated as a precaution. Morocco and Spain have both sent water dropping planes to help the efforts. Although many of the fires are now reported to be under control, there is a warning that the risk of further blazes remains high.

A spate of blazes in Portugal earlier in the summer left over 60 people dead and more than 200 injured. Weather conditions will be “especially favourable for wildfires” until Sunday, with strong winds and temperatures of up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) forecast, civil protection agency spokeswoman Patricia Gaspar told a news conference.

The fires come after more than 60 people were killed in June, and more than 250 injured, in a giant blaze at Pedrogao Grande in central Portugal that raged for five days.

Eleven fires were still out of control as of 11 pm (2100 GMT) on Thursday while the rest had been tamed or were being dampened down, the civil protection agency said on its website.