More than 1,000 Evacuated As Portugal Wildfire Spreads

Hundreds of firefighters scrambled on Tuesday to put out a blaze raging in southern Portugal that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and forced the precautionary evacuation of around 1,400 people.

The wildfire, currently being tackled by over 800 firefighters, started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, but has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal’s top tourist destinations, Reuters reported.

High temperatures and strong winds are complicating efforts to combat the flames, which have destroyed around 6,700ha of land. Shortly before sunset on Monday, the sky in Odemira turned dark as a huge smoke cloud filled the air.