Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters battle to control the flames. Here we take a look at the countries affected by the fires and some of the most striking images that have emerged. Portugal Temperatures have cooled slightly in Portugal but were expected to exceed 40 degrees in some places on Friday, with five areas on red alert and more than 1,000 firefighters battling 17 blazes. Portugal’s Health Minister Marta Temido said on Thursday that the health system faced a “particularly worrying” week because of the heat and said some hospitals were overwhelmed. From July 7 to July 13, Portugal recorded 238 excess deaths due to the heat, the country’s health authority DGS announced. Image: A satellite image shows a fire in Faro, Portugal Image: Firefighters work as a fire rages in Portugal’s Quinta do Lago Image: Videos shared online showed flames spreading near villas in Quinta do Lago Image: People carry their dogs while being evacuated after a fire, in Leiria Spain A new fire broke out in southern Spain on Friday after flames swept through parts of the western country this week. More than 400 people were evacuated from the hills of Mijas, a town popular with northern European tourists in the province of Malaga. Spain recorded 84 excess deaths attributed to extreme temperatures in the first three days of the heat wave, according to the National Epidemiological Center database. Image: A satellite image shows a fire in Las Batuecas Natural Park in Spain PIC:DEFIS_EU//Reuters Image: People look at plumes of smoke in Malaga, as seen from Playa del Bajondillo beach in Torremolinos Image: A helicopter works to contain a fire in the Guadapero area Picture: Luis Corsette and his wife Toni monitor the fire in Guadapero France More than 1,000 firefighters, supported by bomber aircraft, have been battling since Tuesday to control two wildfires in southwestern France that have been fanned by scorching heat, dusty conditions and strong winds. In the Gironde region, 11,300 people have been evacuated since fires broke out around Dune du Pilat and Landiras. About 7,350 hectares (18,000 acres) of land have burned. Authorities said the fires were not yet contained. Image: A fire near Landiras, south-west France Image: An aerial view shows a fire near Landiras Image: A fire near Landiras, France Image: Firefighters battle a fire near Landiras PIC:AP Image: Firefighters try to bring it under control the forest fire near Landiras
