Portugal and Spain ravaged by forest fires and temperatures above 45 degrees | NOW

Weather warnings have been issued in Portugal and Spain due to a heat wave. Temperatures topped 45 degrees on Wednesday. The countries are also ravaged by forest fires, as it is also very dry.

27 forest fires raged in Portugal on Wednesday evening, the head of civil defense told local media. The fire threatens villages, especially in the Algarve, very popular with tourists. Hundreds of people were evacuated. Fires are also raging north of Lisbon. Several highways are closed due to smoke. More than 2,700 firefighters are trying to fight the blaze. They are assisted by around 30 firefighting planes and helicopters.

In western Spain, on the border with Portugal, around 3,500 hectares of land caught fire, authorities said. In the French department of Gironde, the fires have already reduced 2,700 hectares of forest to ashes, the regional prefect told the television channel BFM-TV† Approximately 6,000 tourists were evacuated from campsites.

A large forest fire has also broken out on the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean Sea. A firefighting helicopter also crashed there at sea. According to Greek media, at least one of the four crew members was killed.