Hundreds of firefighters scrambled on Tuesday to put out a blaze raging in southern Portugal that has scorched thousands of acres of land and forced the precautionary evacuation of around 1,400 people.
The fire, which is currently being tackled by more than 800 firefighters, began in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, but has since spread to the region of Algarve, one of Portugal's top tourist destinations.
High temperatures and strong winds are hindering efforts to combat the flames, which have destroyed more than 6700 hectares of land. The sky in Odemira turned dark on Monday as a huge smoke cloud filled the air.
Odemira's mayor, Helder Guerreiro, called it critical, difficult and complex, while Civil Protection commander Jose Ribeiro said there was a lot of work ahead to bring the wildfire under control.
At least 19 tiny villages have been evacuated out of precaution, including four tourist hotels and a camping site. Several roads have been blocked off, officials said.