'Never seen this': Portuguese village battered by wildfire

A silhouette of a villager holding a hose as a wildfire approaches her house is pictured at Ribeira de Fraguas, Albergaria-a-Velha in Aveiro on September 16, 2024. [AFP]

The wildfires scorching the Aveiro region of northern Portugal are some of the worst locals have seen for a generation and they feel powerless against the walls of flames.

In the village of Busturenga, where the smoke was so thick it was hard in places to see more than a few dozen metres, anxious residents sought on Monday to rescue pets and belongings from homes perilously close to the blaze.