Portuguese firefighter injured as wildfires devastate Iberia

A drone view shows wildfire in Covilha area, Portugal, 21 August, 2025.
Reuters

A Portuguese firefighter was severely injured on Thursday after flames suddenly engulfed his fire engine during a wildfire sweeping through central and northern Portugal.

Authorities said the firefighter, who suffered serious burns, was the driver of a truck caught in the blaze in the Valverde area. A medical helicopter rushed to the scene to treat the injured man.

Portugal’s wildfires have killed at least three people in the past week and scorched 274,000 hectares of land, nearly three times the annual average recorded between 2006 and 2024, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

This year marks the country’s worst wildfire season since 2017, when more than 100 people were killed in two massive blazes.

Southern Europe as a whole is suffering one of its most destructive fire seasons in two decades.

Tags