She said 6,700 hectares of land had burned, but it could have been much more.

Meanwhile residents in inland Castro Marim complained about a lack of fire-fighting resources and piped water to fight the fire.

The PAN People, Animals and Nature party has logged a formal complaint following the death of over a dozen animals in an alleged "illegal shelter" in the fire. In a statement, PAN spokesperson Inês Sousa Real said the party was in touch with “local structures” to find out how at least 14 animals died in the shelter during the blaze.

Vila Real de Santo António Council said it "was unaware of the existence" of the shelter.