Portuguese fires revive as temperatures climb

Forest fires that have ravaged central Portugal and killed at least 14 people revived yesterday, flaring up as summer temperatures rose during the day, the national fire service said.

In the afternoon, seven small fires were out of control, the biggest near Santarem, about 60 kilometres northeast of Lisbon, the service said in a statement.

Cooler weather and clouds had helped firefighters snuff out fires that have devastated forests in central Portugal and yesterday morning, for the first time in many days, the fire service reported no blazes.

The respite brought relief to 4,200 volunteer firefighters who "have been stretched to the limits of their resistance", Interior Minister Antonio Costa said late on Wednesday.

Portugal is enduring its worst drought on record. The National Forest Fire Authority estimates that more than 180,000 hectares of woodland have burned so far this year, already the second-highest annual figure since 1980.

Aircraft from France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have been helping to fight the fires, which have swept through eucalyptus plantations and hillside forests but destroyed relatively few buildings.