Danger High elsewhere in France wildfires spared the French city of Marseille

  Firefighters battle a fire that reached the old center of Funchal, the capital of Portugal's Madeira island. Forest fires in Madeira forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and tourists.


Major highways shut down to make way for firefighters streaming to the area, and the Marseille airport rerouted incoming flights to clear the skies for firefighting aircraft. With winds still high, authorities said Thursday the danger was not over for some nearby French towns.

Hundreds of evacuees spent the night in gymnasiums, and by mid-morning in Pennes-Mirabeau and Vitrolles, city officials were taking stock of the damage. Firefighters in Portugal are also battling multiple blazes fed by brush in a hot, dry summer for a sixth straight day. A total of 186 wildfires were counted Wednesday on Portugal's mainland alone and on Thursday, 12 were burning out of control.