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LISBON - Fires which have raged in parched woodland in Portugal over the past three days, killing two firefighters, worsened Monday as temperatures soared to 40°C / 104°r;F in some regions.

Nearly 2,300 firefighters were battling dozens of blazes, including 14 which raced out of control, in the densely-wooded centre and north of the country, the civil protection service said.

About 600 vehicles backed by 18 water-dropping aircraft and soldiers supported the fire crews.

The Forest Fire Prevention Agency said all but one of mainland Portugal's 18 administrative districts faced either a "maximum" or "very high" risk of fires on Monday, the two highest levels.

Two of the blazes raging out of control have burned since Saturday, including one near the central town of Pampilhosa da Serra that was threatening built-up areas.

Local officials evacuated children and the elderly on Monday from a local village because of the threat from the advancing flames and smoke. Firefighters said strong winds and the mountainous terrain in the region were making it difficult to put out the fire, which has already destroyed several buildings.

The situation is very serious. The wind is very strong and the conditions for the firefighters are not humane

the mayor of Pampilhosa da Serra, Hermano Almeida, told the Lusa news agency. Local residents scrambled to fill plastic buckets with water to douse the flames and protect their properties, television images showed.

Fires broke out once again Friday across the country, facing its worst drought since 1945, with the return of scorching temperatures.

Eight firefighters have died battling wildfires this year, more than during the previous two years combined. The head of the League of Portuguese Firefighters, Duarte Caldeira, blamed severe drought conditions, which cause wildfires to spread faster, and a lack of adequate equipment for the high number of firefighter deaths.

The worrying number of firefighters who have been killed or injured while battling the flames proves that the risks associated with forest fires are getting greater,

he told daily newspaper Jornal de Noticias. Portugal has a largely volunteer firefighting force and firemen are often seen battling blazes wearing T-shirts instead of specialized protective gear. Separately, two elderly men have been killed this year while trying to protect their properties from the flames.

Firefighters urged rural homeowners to clear areas of 50 metres (165 feet) around their houses to keep fires from reaching the buildings and to avoid using any farm equipment which could set off sparks on the tinder-dry land.

Wildfires have destroyed up to 118,000 hectares (292,000 acres) of forest and scrubland so far this year in Portugal, according to government estimates, compared to 130,000 hectares for all of 2004.

Experts blame human negligence, the abandonment of rural areas and an emphasis on planting profitable but highly combustible tree species such as fast-growing eucalyptus and pine for the increase in wildfires.