A firefighter carries a hose as a fire squad tries to extinguish a wildfire in the village of Casais de Sao Bento in Macao in central Portugal on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Portugal requested the loan of two water-bombing planes on Monday as winds revived massive wildfires in a central region where dozens of people were killed in huge blazes in 2017.
Portugal's civil protection agency had said on Monday morning the wildfires were "90 percent controlled" but officials said they were fanned back into life when winds picked up in the afternoon.
Later in the evening, officials said they were making some progress against the blazes again but that it was slow work.
"During the morning it was practically controlled but weather conditions did not allow a consolidation of the situation," Prime Minister Antonio Costa told journalists.
In response to a demand from Lisbon, Spain sent two heavy amphibious aircraft to help fight the blazes which broke out on Saturday amid scorching temperatures, the interior ministry said.
Nearly 1,300 firefighters backed by 17 water-dropping aircraft were deployed to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region, 120 miles northeast of the capital Lisbon.
Thirty-nine people have been injured since the wildfires broke out on Saturday, including several firefighters who were hurt on Monday, the civil protection agency said.
Most suffered smoke inhalation but a civilian was evacuated to a Lisbon hospital with serious burns.
As night fell, Portugal's civil protection agency commander Pedro Nunes said the flames were "losing intensity" and the situation seemed to be "evolving favorably" once again.
Exhausted firefighters poured water over their heads to cool off as temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AFP)
Photography by Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke billows from wildfires in Macao in central Portugal on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire in the village of Casais de Sao Bento in Macao in central Portugal on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A firefighter monitors the progression of a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Villagers watch fire squads drop water over a wildfire as the sun sets in Chaveira in Macao in central Portugal on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A villager uses a water hose to put out flames during a wildfire in Roda village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo:Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A villager walks past a wildfire encroaching on her home in Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A car drives past a burnt forest after a wildfire in Vila de Rei, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Villagers carry buckets with water to try extinguish a fire that was coming close to their houses at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A firefighter is at work to extinguish a wildfire at Roda village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A villager holds a hose as a wildfire comes close to his house at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A villager shouts for help as a wildfire approaches a house at Casas da Ribeira village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighters tackle a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A wildfire approaches a house at Casas da Ribeira village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A firefighter monitors the progression of a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A National Guard Firefighter stands in front of a burning house at Roda village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A firefighter tackles a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A sheep looks outside a car window during a wildfire in Cardigos village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A firefighter passes while a wildfire burns the forest at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A National Guard Firefighter sits on top of a wall as a wildfire approaches Cardigos village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighters tackle a wildfire at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A National Guard Firefighter uses a hose during a wildfire on Roda village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A villages holds a hose as a wildfire comes close to his house at Amendoa in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
A herd of goats graze close to a burnt forest in Roda village, Macao, central Portugal on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighters are at work to extinguish a wildfire in Cardigos village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Picture shows ruins of a house after a wildfire in Roda village, Macao, in central Portugal on July 22, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighters are at work to extinguish a wildfire in Cardigos village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighters are at work to extinguish a wildfire in Cardigos village in Macao, central Portugal on July 21, 2019. (Photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images)
