LISBON, Aug 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A man was killed while helping fight wildfires that have been scorching Portugal, the country's civil protection service said Wednesday, bringing the death toll from the fires to three.

The man, who worked for a company hired to help the northern municipality of Mirandela fight the fires, died in an accident involving construction equipment that was being used to contain the flames, commander Paulo Santos of the National Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told AFP.

The victim was initially cited as being 75 years old, however local city hall officials told AFP he was 65.

Around 15 people were also injured -- one critically -- while fighting fires Tuesday near the central city of Sabugal, where two water-bombing airplanes sent by Sweden through the EU's civil protection agency were deployed.

Crews were still battling four large fires on Wednesday morning, the most complex of which were raging in the north and centre of the country.

Over 2,600 firefighters have been deployed, supported by about 20 aircraft.

In neighbouring Spain, wildfires have killed four people and burned a record area of land this year -- around 373,000 hectares (848,000 acres), the equivalent of nearly half a million football fields.

The fires have been fuelled by heatwaves and drought blamed on climate change.

Since the start of the year, more than 261,000 hectares in Portugal have been destroyed by fires, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, compared to 143,000 hectares in 2024.

In 2017, Portugal saw a particularly devastating fire season, with 563,000 hectares scorched and 119 people killed.