More than 1,000 firefighters were battling a wildfire in central Portugal that has destroyed 7,000 hectares of land and slightly injured 11 people, writes VOA.

Temperatures were above 40 degrees Celsius in some regions of Portugal and authorities said wildfire risks would remain “very high or at maximum level across the entire country” over the coming days.

Around 7,000 hectares were destroyed in the district of Castelo Branco in the center of the country but the commander of the firefighting operation, Jose Gulherme, said the potential risk from the blaze could be as high as “more than 20,000 hectares”.

A further 400 firefighters were deployed to battle a separate wildfire in Odemira, near the southwest coast. Authorities warned the risk of wildfires remained extremely high across the country.