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Portugal has been severely affected by raging wildfires. BBC News website readers sent their pictures of the blazes. Kate Stephenson captured one of the fires near Covelos, a small village outside Coimbra.

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She described her reaction as the fire spread and the aftermath. "We started packing our bags at this stage," she said.

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"We could now hear the roar of the flames and feel the heat."

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"This is the last photo before we started to get ready to leave."

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"Covelos the morning after."

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"The hill behind our house. Initially, we didn't even know this was on fire until one of the villagers risked their own life by screaming at us to leave."

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"The now blackened and barren hills around our village."

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Pedro Santos Vizeu sent pictures of fires in Coimbra, taken at night.

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"You can see in the foreground part of the city centre and in the background the fires devastating the hills that surround the city," he said.

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The ancient city of Coimbra remains threatened by about a dozen fires.

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Efforts to extinguish the wildfires are being hampered by high temperatures and dry weather.

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"This picture shows the smoke that has immersed the city," Mr Santos Vizeu said. If you have any pictures of the fires you can send them to [email protected].