A wildfire has been raging in northern Portugal since Wednesday night into Thursday, injuring four people, according to rescue services. The fire broke out on the third day of a severe heatwave affecting the country.

A spokesperson for the National Civil Protection Authority told AFP that three firefighters sustained minor injuries while one civilian was seriously hurt with burns.

The blaze erupted early Thursday in the community of Vouzela, in the Viseu region. More than 900 firefighters, backed by 300 vehicles and eight aircraft or helicopters, are working to contain it.

Three smaller fires in the northern part of the Iberian country are being handled by roughly 300 additional firefighters.

The Wider Heatwave

Portugal’s meteorological service has placed 12 of the country’s 18 mainland districts under red alert due to hot, dry conditions, with temperatures expected to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius in some areas. The top alert level will remain in effect through the weekend across about 12 regions, as authorities warn of heightened fire-spread risk.

The government declared a state of alert from Thursday through Monday, allowing for restricted access to forest areas and bans on certain outdoor machinery. Interior Minister Luís Neves described conditions as a tinderbox, stressing that some activities must be banned outright and warning that small moments of negligence can cause major disasters.

Portugal faces extensive wildfires every summer, with the deadly fires of 2017 having killed more than 100 people.

Firemen fight a forest fire at Castelo in Macao, central Portugal, 26 July 2017. Some 1,126 firemen, 358 land vehicules and 10 airplanes and helicopters working to contain the forest fire. EPA/NUNO ANDRE FERREIRA

This year’s heatwave is reviving fears of similar tragedies.