Hundreds of firefighters were unable to bring a massive fire that broke out in the Sintra region close to the Portuguese capital Lisbon under control Thursday, Portugal's National Civil Protection Authority reported according to DPA. The fire was threatening rural houses as it raged on three fronts in Pernigem on the outskirts of Sintra, a historical mediaeval town that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just 19 kilometres from Lisbon. Some 360 firefighters were currently engaged in putting the fire out and were deploying 80 fire engines, a helicopter and three fire- fighting aircraft, according to Dinis de Jesus, deputy commander of the Lisbon Fire Brigade.
