MORE than 700 firefighters were deployed to fight a wildfire west of Lisbon yesterday as authorities evacuated hundreds of people.

The fire, which broke out overnight, had already injured 17 firefighters and one civilian, Andre Fernandes of Portugal's civil protection agency said on Sunday.

Mr Fernandes said firefighters were combating the fire on two fronts and their efforts were being helped by a drop in the winds that had fanned the flames during the night.

Last year wildfires killed 114 people in Portugal, prompting the government to pass a range of preventive measures this year, including the deployment of goats to devour flammable undergrowth along the country’s roads, upping the number of firefighters and tightening regulation of landowners’ management of their land.

While wildfires occur in Europe every summer, the area that catches light appears to be increasing; in 2017 blazes consumed three times more ground than usual. European Commission researcher Jesus San-Miguel said a hotter, drier climate is causing the fires.