ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: Fires raged in Santa Cruz on Madeira Island and Sao Bras de Alportel in the Southern' Algarve region of Portugal Sunday.<br/> <br />In Madeira, wildfires forced the evacuation of dozens of villagers from their homes. Dozens of people retreated to Assomada, the county of Santa Cruz, after the flames threatened their homes.<br/> <br />Portugal had suffered from a severe drought this year before being hit by scorching summer temperatures this week, triggering intense forest blazes.<br/> <br />Portugal has had relatively few forest fires in the past two years as temperatures were low and rainfall high. But this year's drought, coupled with scorching weather, poses a threat that fires will escalate during the hottest period in late July and August.
