Having spread to the nearby Santarem district, they threatened several villages in the Vila de Rei and Macao municipalities. Portugal's Civil Protection said some houses were destroyed by the flames but did not give a specific number. Around 870 firefighters are on the ground according to the National Authority for Civil Protection. Portugal's Civil Protection said some houses were destroyed by the flames but did not give a specific number. "The fire is out of control, without resources on the ground, and the population at risk," Vasco Estrela, the mayor of Macao, told Portuguese radio station TSF on Sunday.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 22, 2019 00:56 UTC