Brush fires continued to rage in several parts of Portugal on Wednesday, as the government appealed for more help from its European Union partners, notably Spain.

Firefighting and civil protection officials said eight major blazes were being fought in the north, centre and south of the country.

Almost 1,300 firefighters were battling the blazes, using over 340 vehicles and 39 water-dropping aircraft, they added.

The major fires were in the northern regions around the cities of Braga and Braganca, around Viseu in the centre and Faro and Beja in the south of the country, officials said.

Around 20 lesser fires were under control, but still required work, they added.

One of the biggest blazes was in the Geres mountains in the north of the country, where Portugal's biggest natural park is located. It is home to a wide variety of rare plants and animals.

The Portugueuse government has already appealed for help from EU partners, and late on Tuesday it said it had asked neighbouring Spain to provide it with extra aircraft to help fight the blazes.

It is the second year in a row that Portugal has experienced devastating forest fires during its hot summer season.