Portugal on high alert as firefighters battle blaze

Portugal will go on high alert because more than 850 firefighters struggle to put out a fire sweeping across part of the country's central region on Sunday. strong winds and high temperatures also complicating efforts to tackle the blaze. The wildfire has been raging in the municipality of Oleiros since Saturday afternoon but it has spread to two neighbouring municipalities and has already forced the precautionary evacuation of a number of people.

A 21-year-old firefighter died in a road accident on Saturday evening while fighting the fire, and seven others were injured, including one civilian. High temperatures are expected to continue, the country's meteorology agency IPMA said.