Fires continue to rage in Portugal with emergency services battling seven blazes. The latest wave of destruction is to the south of the country in the popular tourist region of the Algarve. Firefighters say the flames have been out of control for the last four days. Reports suggest that 215,000 hectares have been left charred - that is an area almost the size of Luxembourg. The devastation has claimed 15 victims and the Forestry Commission estimates that Portugal, still in the grip of a heatwave, faces an "extremely high meteorological risk of fire". Meanwhile in the province of Barcelona in northeastern Spain, where five members of the same family died as a result of the forest fires, authorities believe the blaze was started deliberately. The victims were found on Monday. They had fled their homes in the town of Sant Llorenc Savall as the flames closed in. Around 1,300 hectares have been decimated and the total number of dead has risen to seven. Fires are also raging in the northern province of Burgos and centrally in Avila. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A fireman fights a forest fire in Porto Mos, central Portugal, Friday, Aug. 8 2003. On Friday, the Portuguese government revealed that the wild fires that have raged across Portugal for over a week have caused over one billion euros (dollars) in damages. (AP Photo/Antonio Cunha/Lusa)