The former mayor of a Portuguese town has died after trying to fight dramatic wildfires which have ravaged Europe including Spain and Greece.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his 'heartfelt condolences' to Carlos Damaso, a victim of a fire he was fighting in his parish, asking that the current mayor of Guarda pass them on to his family.
Mr Rebelo de Sousa added that he had cut short his holidays and returned to the presidential palace, joining a meeting of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.
For numerous days now, several thousand firefighters have been battling fires in various parts of the country.
Like its neighbour Spain, Portugal has invoked the EU's civil protection mechanism to ask for help, requesting four firefighting aircraft to use until Monday, the presidency said on X.
