Authorities said the most severe blaze is in Arganil, Coimbra, where more than 1,100 firefighters and 10 aircraft are working to contain it.
Jorge Custodio, mayor of Pampilhosa da Serra, warned that several villages lie directly in the path of the advancing fire.
Provisional official figures show that by 17 August, more than 172,000 hectares had been burned across the country, already exceeding the total area lost to wildfires during the entire year of 2024.