Hundreds of wildfires raging in Portugal and northwestern Spain have killed at least 30 people.

Thousands of firefighters are battling to contain them.

The Portuguese authorities say at least 27 people have died, with dozens injured in central and northern parts of the country.

The fires have spread quickly since Sunday,
Farmland has been destroyed and towns and villages evacuated as the flames sweep across a landscape left tinder-dry after a hot summer. A blaze in June killed 64 people.

At least three people died in the northwestern Spanish region of Galicia, including an elderly farmer trying to save his animals and two women whose bodies were found inside their burnt-out car.

Officials in both countries say arsonists are often to blame. Spanish authorities say some have been identified and could face up to 20 years in jail. In Portugal at least one person’s been arrested.

Across the region, the flames have been fanned by strong winds linked to Hurricane Ophelia as it swept up the Iberian coast.