Thousands of emergency workers were deployed to fight forest fires raging throughout the southern Europe, destroying homes and causing the evacuation of thousands.
fueled by gusty winds over 30 km / h, the lights should continue to be a threat, with the CNN weather forecasters predict warmer than average temperatures continue across the region and little or no chance of rain.
In southern France, about 2,500 firefighters were mobilized to fight a huge blaze that threatened the port city of Marseille since taking hold Wednesday afternoon, the French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Thursday.
More than 3,300 hectares of scrubland have been ravaged by fire, which injured three people, one seriously, according to a statement by the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône.
fire was halted on the outskirts of Marseille, France's second city, on Wednesday, the statement said, while a second fire destroyed hundreds of hectares in the port area of the city.
the fire was fanned by northwesterly wind known as mistral strong - and fierce, unpredictable gusts of emergency services on alert and wary of a push, the statement said
Marseille Deputy Mayor Julien Ruas said Thursday that CNN. fire had been contained in the Bouches-du-Rhône, but firefighters would work all night if the fire was revived by the wind.
he said he had been watching firefighters fight fires at 2 am Thursday and strong winds were fanning the flames up to 10 meters high.
firefighters standing above the houses as they worked, he said.
"It was very impressive. They seemed tiny compared to the flames, but they fought like the houses were theirs."
It was not possible to save all homes but facing these huge flames, Ruas said.
"I'm on the ground this morning and it was a lunar landscape," he said.
fire destroyed many houses and other buildings in Vitrolles, a city about 25km (15 miles) north of Marseille, which was the worst affected area. hundreds there were forced to evacuate their homes and seek shelter.
Four firefighters were injured, some of them seriously, while struggling against a fire in Hérault, west of Marseille. the french president Francois Hollande paid tribute to the emergency workers injured Thursday.
Portugal
In Portugal, emergency services fought 12 major fires across the country, with more than 1,700 firefighters, 558 fire engines and six aircraft involved in the fight against fires, the Portuguese National Authority for Civil Protection said.
Three people died in the flames of Madeira, threatening the island capital Funchal and more than 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa visited the island Thursday lifted the damage caused by fires and tweeting: "Now we have to move to the next phase :. Restore confidence and rebuild what to rebuild "
The government issued a statement Thursday assuring visitors that the tourist facilities on the island - a popular holiday destination -. Returning to normal, despite the still burning fires
Spain
In Spain, nearly 1,800 hectares were burned in the northwestern region of Galicia. Five major fires raging in warm weather areas, dry summer in the municipalities of Santiago, Porto do Son, Cee, Airplane and Soutomaior-Arcade, the Galician regional government said in a statement.
CNN's weather team said that while the winds across the affected areas are expected to fall in the coming days, the high pressure allows temperatures to rise even while eliminating any chance of rain.
CNN's Tatiana Reiter, Brandon Miller and Sarah Tilotta contributed to this report.
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