LISBON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - More than 1,100 firefighters and 14 water-carrying aircraft battled a wildfire in central Portugal's Castelo Branco area on Saturday as civil protection authorities said hot, windy conditions meant it could take days to put out.
Smoke from the blaze, which has destroyed some 60 square km (23 square miles) of forest and undergrowth, reached the Fatima Sanctuary about 100 km (60 miles) away where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered to see Pope Francis on Saturday.
The Portuguese state weather agency forecast temperatures to reach 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Sunday in Castelo Branco, up from 38C on Saturday.
August is usually the hottest month of the year in Portugal.
Reporting by Andrei Khalip Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Pope Francis, Jody Rato, Andrei Khalip, Helen Popper Our
Organizations:
Saturday, Authorities, Civil, Thomson
Locations:
LISBON, Portugal's Castelo Branco, Fatima, Castelo Branco, Lisbon, Portugal, China, United States, Europe