Watch: Wildfire threatens popular Portuguese towns

Portugal's prime minister warned on Wednesday that a massive fire burning in the southern Algarve tourist region will take many days to put out as authorities sent more firefighters to combat the blaze. The fire, which is heading south from the Monchique hills towards the Algarve coast, started on August 3 despite huge efforts by the government to prevent any repetition of last year's deadly fires in which 114 people were killed. Nobody has died this year. In his first comments on the fire, made on television, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said more than 500 fire outbreaks had been extgiguished in the past week as a crippling heatwave rolled across Portugal. "There was one which got out of control," said Costa. "This is a (firefighting) operation which will last during coming days and there is no point in having the illusion it will be put out in coming hours." The Civil Protection Service sent 120 more firefighters, bringing the total to 1,450 and 450 fire engines. More than a dozen aircraft were involved, including three Canadair firefighting planes which scooped up sea water off a popular tourist beach. Costa's government is under pressure to show its efforts, which have...