Man run over by own bulldozer while fighting Portugal wildfires

A man has died after being run over by a bulldozer he was operating while fighting wildfires in Portugal, bringing the death toll in the country to three, officials said.

The 65-year-old worked for a firm hired to fight fires northern municipality of Mirandela and was reportedly run over after falling from his vehicle while trying to avoid the flames.

Portugal has been battling wildfires since late July, with the north and centre of the country hit the hardest.

In neighbouring Spain, wildfires have killed four people and burned an area larger than Long Island in New York State – although temperatures are beginning to cool after 16 days of extreme heat.

Fires have also broken out in Greece, France, Turkey and the Balkans as a heatwave has swept through Europe.

Meteorologists say such extremes are becoming more frequent and intense because of human-induced climate change.

Climate change is causing weather to become harsher, according to research from Spain’s state meteorological agency.

In Portugal, around 15 people were also injured – one critically – while fighting fires on Tuesday near the central city of Sabugal, AFP news agency reported.

Local media in Spain reports that 40 fires are still active despite temperatures dropping.

The most intense heat, when temperatures surpassed 40C in many regions of Spain, has now passed but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged people to “exercise extreme caution”.

“Critical moments remain, difficult hours remain,” he added.

At least 373,000 hectares have been scorched in Spain this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Dozens of villages have been evacuated due to the fires.

“We had to run away because the fire was coming in from everywhere – everywhere – above us, below us, all around,” Isidoro, 83, a resident in the Ourense province of Galicia, told AFP.

Spanish officials said many fires had been sparked by lightning during dry storms, but arson is suspected in some cases.

The interior ministry says 32 people have been arrested and 188 investigations had been launched.

In 2025, the EFFIS reported that Portugal’s wildfires had burned about 216,000 hectares of land.

Spain and Portugal have activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, under which countries can request emergency assistance.

Wildfires are a common occurrence across southern Europe in the summer, but their severity can often be exacerbated by heatwave conditions.