Hundreds of firefighters are battling forest fires across Portugal in temperatures of up to 45OC.
The country, which saw 13% of its forests and woodlands destroyed in fires last year, has been hit by nearly 10,000 individual fires which have burned more than 26,800ha. Faro on the southern coast was hardest hit, with more than 150 firefighters working in mountains near the spa town of Monchique.
Wildfires have also swept through the Bouches-du-Rhone region of southern France, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people and destroying 2,500ha of brush. About 2,000 firefighters brought the blaze under control, allowing evacuees to return home.
The region had been classified a “high fire risk” area due to high temperatures, strong winds and extreme dryness.
