Over 1,700 firefighters and soldiers backed by 22 water-dropping aircraft and 359 vehicles were involved in the firefighting operation in Portugal, which along with Spain is facing its worst dry spell since the 1940s.

Six large fires were burning out of control in Portugal, including one in the northern Alvao natural park which forced the evacuation late Wednesday of seven mountain villages, the civil protection agency said.

Emergency services workers and soldiers took some 230 people from the seven villages to a military barrack in the nearby city of Vila Real where they will spend the night, officials said.

The blaze has already destroyed four homes and led police to temporarily close a highway linking the northern cities of Chaves and Vila Real, they added.

Firefighters said they suspect arsonists are responsible for the blaze because it appears to have erupted in six different locations within a short span of time on Monday night.

Separately, some 30 people who were evacuated from a village near the central town of Pampilhosa da Serra because of the advancing flames from a fire that has raged since Saturday were allowed to return home after firefighters tamed the blaze.

Firefighters had earlier declared the fire under control but strong winds caused it to flare again, leading to the evacuation of the village.

Over 300 firefighters and nine water-dropping aircraft were at the scene of that blaze which has already charred some 20,000 hectares (49,500 acres) of land.

The Forest Fire Prevention Agency said all but four of mainland Portugal's 18 administrative districts will face either a "maximum" or "very high" risk of fires on Thursday, the two highest levels, because of the heat and drought.

Spanish firefighters were also battling several wildfires in the eastern region of Valencia, the northeastern region of Galicia and the northern Castille and Leon regions.

In Galicia five wildfires were burning out of control in the provinces of La Coruna and Orense, which borders Portugal, officials said.

In Valencia seven water-dropping planes and six helicopters along with 12 fire brigades were battling a blaze that raged near the town of Torremanzanas in the coastal province of Alicante.

Emergency services workers evacuated an islolated farm near the mountain village of Relleu because of the blaze, the regional government said.

In Castille and Leon an overnight lightning storm set off about 10 small fires "almost simultaneously", mostly in the provinces of Leon and Zamora, the regional environment department said.

Thirteen Spanish firefighters have died since the start of the summer, 11 last month in a blaze that destroyed 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) at Guadalajara, east of Madrid.

In Portugal wildfires have claimed the lives of eight firefighters since the beginning of the year, including two over the weekend, more than during the previous two years combined.

The flames have charred 134,500 hectares so far this year, compared to just under 130,000 hectares in all of 2004, according to a new estimate released by the agriculture ministry on Wednesday.

Forestry experts blame human negligence, the abandonment of rural areas and an emphasis on planting profitable but highly combustible tree species such as fast-growing eucalyptus and pine for the large number of wildfires in Portugal.

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