our CLIMBERS in portugal, and, spain, AS to fires/hurricane

She said 56 people were injured, 16 of them seriously, and nine people were reported missing in the blazes that broke out over the weekend.

More than 5,300 firefighters with more than 1,600 vehicles were still battling the fires through dense pine and eucalyptus forests Monday.

Portugal endures widespread forest blazes every summer. Most fires are set deliberately, officials say, and spread quickly due to poor forest management which leaves debris that fuels fires.

Emergency services recorded 523 wildfires Sunday, the highest number in a single day this year and the highest on one day in more than a decade. "You don't see that in any other country in the world," said Civil Protection Agency spokeswoman Patricia Gaspar.

A prolonged drought has made the calamity worse this year.

"We have all our firefighters out there doing everything they can," said Home Affairs Minister Constanca Urbano de Sousa, who is in charge of emergency services and has been the target of criticism for her handling of the tragedy.