EPA Fires rip through the hills of Funchal, a tourist hotspot in Madeira

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At least 27 homes have been destroyed on the island of Madeira, off the north-west coast of Africa. Up to 400 people had been evacuated from their homes and 174 were hurt.

Mass evacuation in Portugal as wildfire spreads Wed, August 10, 2016 Portuguese wildfires grow tenfold in size as hundreds more people are evacuated. Take a look through disastrous wildfires across the world. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 31 Forest fire in Funchal, Madeira Island

GETTY Smoke billows from wildfires in the holiday hotspot

EPA Fire chiefs say the steep hills and dense woods make it hard to fight blazes

Terrifying photos show entire swathes of hillsides in flames as firefighters struggle to contain the outbreaks. More than 3,000 firefighters spent Tuesday night combatting blazes near the island’s capital, Funchal.

Fires are difficult to reach because of the idyllic island’s steep hills, according to fire service chiefs. Shocking footage shows a neighbourhood on Madeira engulfed in flames.

GOOGLE MAPS Madeira, located off the north-western coast of Africa in the Atlantic ocean

Firefighters and volunteers are struggling to contain the all-encompassing blaze. But it is not just Madeira affected by the horror fires. Other tourist hotspots have seen outbreaks as temperatures top 86F (30C) and arid conditions in forests make flames easier to spread.

GETTY Firefighters are struggling to contain more than 500 active fires in the country

EPA A firefighter tackles a forest fire in Regoufe, Portugal

The capital, Lisbon, was shrouded in smoke yesterday after woods in the region burst into flames. More than 500 blazes are believed to be active in the country, which is 1.4 times smaller than England.

Catastrophic Natural Disasters Mon, October 17, 2016 The world has witnessed numerous disasters over the centuries and although most are man-made due to wars and terrorism, mother nature certainly dishes out her fair share of damage. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 62 Haiti earthquake: A fire ravages a building in Mexico City in the aftermath of the 8.1-magnitude earthquake that struck

Twitter users rallied around the the hashtag #PrayForPortugal to react to the terrifying fires. User fixedbyselg wrote: "God bless the firefighters who risk their lives to save their nation.

TWITTER User fixedbyselg reacted to the horror fires on Twitter

TWITTER Twitter users rushed to the hashtag #PrayForPortugal to react