Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Portuguese firefighters have reduced the number of uncontrolled forest fires around the country to five from 11 yesterday, the National Firefighting and Civil Protection Service, SNBPC, said on its Web site.

As of 7:10 a.m. today, 1500 firefighters were battling the fires, with help from 600 Portuguese military personnel and special planes and helicopters sent by Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the national firefighting service said. The fires have killed 15 people, including 10 firefighters, since the start of the year, Agence France-Presse reported.

Portugal is suffering from the worst drought in more than 50 years, leaving the countryside dry and susceptible to fire. About 134,500 hectares (332,215 acres) of land had burned by Aug. 15, according to an estimate based on satellite photos, the agriculture ministry said on its Web site. On Aug. 22 there were 31 fires burning out of control.

The area destroyed by fire may now have risen to 180,000 hectares, according to the director of the National Forest Fire Authority, Publico newspaper reported today. In 2003, the worst year for forest fires since record keeping started in 1980, 425,000 hectares burned, Publico said.

The Portuguese government will provide aid to replant destroyed cropland and is reconsidering its policy of paying to replant forests, Agriculture Minister Jaime Silva said yesterday, according to Publico. Paying to plant more trees doesn't make sense if they're just going to burn again, the newspaper reported he said.