<p>PORTUGESE firefighters were cautiously optimistic today that they have largely controlled a massive wildfire in a central region where dozens of people were killed in huge blazes in 2017, but warned that strong winds could cause the remaining flames to spread.</p> <p>Some 1,200 firefighters backed by five water-dropping planes were deployed to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region, 200km northeast of the capital Lisbon, the civil protection force said.</p>