Portugal is currently facing intense wildfires that have engulfed thousands of hectares of land, as firefighters struggle to contain the flames amid soaring temperatures. The fires near the southern town of Odemira have forced more than 1,400 people to evacuate and have so far destroyed around 6,700 hectares of land. The extreme heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F), is expected to affect much of the Iberian Peninsula this week. The fires in Portugal come after similar wildfires in Spain scorched hundreds of hectares over the weekend, with weather alerts still in place across the country. Climate change is contributing to the increased risk of such wildfires due to hotter and drier conditions.