Forest fires that have gathered strength over the last month have forced tens of thousands of people from their homes and sent a smoky haze billowing over a large swath of the US.

Sunak is facing growing pressure due to labour unrest in the country, with nurses, train drivers and teachers having staged strikes for better pay rises as double-digit inflation squeezes household budgets.

Like other European nations, Portugal experienced a scorching heatwave in recent weeks, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in various parts of the country.

Nearly 900 firefighters were combating three active blazes in Leiria alone, while in the whole of mainland Portugal there were 2,841 firefighters on the ground and 860 vehicles.

At least 81 homes have been destroyed in the blaze at the Perth Hills, with surveys of areas burned earlier this week adding another 10 to the tally Thursday.