Hundreds of firefighters battle blaze near Lisbon

A huge cloud of black smoke billowed over the town of Venda do Pinheiro, in Mafra

Hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze raging in a Portuguese municipality near the capital Lisbon on Sunday as high temperatures and strong winds made it harder to put out the flames, Qazet.az reports according to Reuters.

Backed by water-bombers and 123 vehicles, more than 400 firefighters were brought in after a fire erupted in a mountainous area of the municipality of Mafra at around 3 p.m. local time on Sunday.

A huge cloud of black smoke billowed over the town of Venda do Pinheiro, in Mafra, with the fire forcing authorities to block several roads and evacuate a care home. Many locals left their homes out of fear.