Wildfires sweep south towards Portugal's Algarve region

Some 1,400 people have already been evacuated, Sky News reports, from areas south of Odemira, several kilometres inland from Portugal’s western Atlantic coast, as temperatures tipped 46C in the town of Santarem north of Lisbon.

The BBC reports the fire started on Saturday (5 August) near Odemira before being fanned south towards northern areas of the Algarve, Portugal’s most heavily touristed region, by strong winds.

Nearly 20 villages, four tourist accommodations and a camping site have been evacuated, while fires in other areas of the country have forced the closure of the main A1 motorway between Lisbon and Porto.

A third 40C+ heatwave is forecast to scorch Europe’s Iberian peninsula this week, with Spain already experiencing prolonged spells of 40C+ temperatures in coastal areas near Cadiz and Huelva, and in Catalonia.

The Foreign Office is yet to update its travel advice for Portugal. Flights to Lisbon, 200km north, and Faro, 120km south, are continuing unaffected.