One fire that started around 4 p.m. in Vila Cã, in Pombal municipality, was said to have been brought under control by 9.09 p.m, a CDOS official told Lusa. Another that started 10 minutes later in the Vale Morto Valley area, in Abiúl, was under control by 9.30 pm.

Local firefighters remained on the scene, the official said. In all, some 480 were on the ground, backed up more than 150 vehicles.

At one point the fire that started in Vale Morto had spread to Ourém municipality, in the neighbouring district of Santarém.