Fires flare anew in Portugal

Forest fires flared up in northern and central Portugal yesterday, with hundreds of fire-fighters battling five blazes in the drought-hit Iberian nation. About 220 fire-fighters backed by three aircraft were battling the worst fire, a wind-whipped...

Forest fires flared up in northern and central Portugal yesterday, with hundreds of fire-fighters battling five blazes in the drought-hit Iberian nation.

About 220 fire-fighters backed by three aircraft were battling the worst fire, a wind-whipped blaze near Agueda, a town about 250 kilometres north of Lisbon, a spokeswoman for the national fire service said.

The blaze forced about 70 residents to evacuate a home for the elderly, Lusa news agency reported. It also destroyed six houses in a nearby village and four families were evacuated, it said.

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