The wildfires scorching the Aveiro region of northern Portugal are some of the worst locals have seen for a generation and they feel powerless against the walls of flames.
In the village of Busturenga, where the smoke was so thick it was hard in places to see more than a few dozen meters, anxious residents sought on Monday to rescue pets and belongings from homes perilously close to the blaze.
Some attempted to step the encroaching flames but their small buckets of water did little to stem the advance.
"I've never seen anything like it. The fire was all round the village and the water bombers couldn't get to it because of the smoke," 67-year-old Maria Fatima told AFP.
Wildfires burned all night from Monday to Tuesday across the region, destroying scores of homes and thousands of hectares of woodland and crops.
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