More than 100 firefighters were were battling Thursday evening to a forest fire from spreading further as the flames reached an area near the outskirts of Lisbon. Civil defence authorities said the fire had swept through woods, pasturelands and eucalyptus groves to reach the community of Amora, only 10 kilometres south of Lisbon's historic city centre, dpa reported. Officials said 33 firefighting vehicles and a helicopter were being used to try to stop the spread of the fire, which had also reached the community of Casal do Marco. Hot and dry weather of recent weeks has greatly increased the danger of forest fires throughout Portugal. According to the national meteorological institute, eight districts in the northern and central parts of the country have been put on the highest state of alert. But the southern region around the city of Faro and the Algarve also are in extreme danger of fire.
