Hampshire family escapes Portugal wildfires

In Portugal, a temperature of 46.4C (116F), the hottest of the year so far, was recorded in Santarém on Monday

A Hampshire family were among those who fled from their homes in Portugal when wildfires drew dangerously close.

A fire near Odemira began on Saturday before strong winds drove it into the Algarve.

The Harvie-Watt family decided to evacuate their home in São Teotónio when flames approached.

Rosie Harvie-Watt, 15, described how her brothers and dad doused the building with water in an attempt to prevent it being engulfed.

The wildfires turned the sky orange over Zambujeira do Mar beach

More than 1,400 people were evacuated from the southern town of Odemira overnight on Monday, as firefighters battled the flames.

The family from Andover said they first noticed a plume of smoke rising above trees on their way home from the beach on Saturday, but continued as normal after agreeing the fires seemed a safe distance away.

Rosie said: "There was an amber glow on the horizon following us wherever we went, we took nightly watches to monitor the spread."

A total of 19 villages, four tourist accommodations and a camp site were evacuated

By Monday, the wind direction had changed and the wildfires drew dangerously close, forcing the family of five to evacuate.

They moved to Zambujeira do Mar but within two hours the smoke surrounded that town too.

The family travelled on to Vila Nova de Milfontes before moving to a hotel further north in Setúbal.

A false-colour satellite image, combining natural colour bands with shortwave-infrared information, highlights the location of the fires

The wildfire is estimated to have destroyed at least 6,700 hectares (16,600 acres) of land.

Around 800 personnel were tackling the fires on Monday and at least nine firefighters have been injured.

The family praised the emergency services and said the firefighters had been heroic in their attempts to control the blazes amid strong and unpredictable winds.

Rosie's brother Tom, 20, said: "They have worked around the clock in extreme heat and thick smoke with little food and water, often on shifts exceeding 16 hours.

"Many of the firefighters are volunteers, who all donate their pay back into the departments as they are reliant on donations."

The family returned to the property on Tuesday to assess the damage. Their home is still standing while fires continues to burn in surrounding areas.

The property in São Teotónio survived the fires but the blaze scorched the areas around it