Blaze threatens Portuguese resort

LISBON (Reuters) -- A beach-side camp site was evacuated and several houses burned as forest fires raged near the Portuguese coastal resort of Cascais, officials said.

Eight people, including seven firemen, were treated for burns in hospital in Cascais, 25 km (10 miles) west of Lisbon, as firefighters battled a series of blazes in open country between the town and the hill-top resort of Sintra, a beauty spot popular with tourists.

A camp site near the surfing beach of Guincho, just outside Cascais, was evacuated because of the flames, which were fanned by strong coastal winds, officials said.

Some houses in the residential area of Quinta da Marinha, just behind Guincho, were damaged by fire, residents reported.

According to the Mayor of Cascais, Jose Judas, the fire destroyed between 400 and 500 hectares (990 to 1,236 acres) of the Sintra-Cascais National Park before it was brought under control as night fell.

Elsewhere, some 700 firemen backed by helicopters and planes fought a huge fire near Santarem, some 80 km (50 miles) north-west of Lisbon.

RTP state television said dozens of animals were killed in the fire and a number of houses destroyed.

Unusually high summer temperatures, topping 35 centigrade (95 fahrenheit) in much of the country, combined with strong winds, were largely responsible for the blazes.

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