LISBON: The fires raging across Portugal claimed their first victim Friday (Aug 15), when the former mayor of the eastern town of Guarda died fighting fires there, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced.

Lisbon: Portugal will enter a state of alert from Sunday due to an intense heatwave and a heightened risk of wildfires, with temperatures projected to reach up to 44°C.

Firefighters have been battling to put out blazes across southern Europe in one of the worst summers for wildfires in 20 years

According to IPMA data, sea temperatures in the Algarve will range between 23 and 24°C through Saturday. View on euronews

Firefighters have spent days battling blazes in Greece, Portugal, Spain and elsewhere. Forecasters said temperatures could pass 111 degrees in some places on Thursday.

Wildfires are burning in parts of Europe as millions of people across the continent struggled to adapt to the new reality: record summer heat.

Mainland Portugal will enter a state of alert from Sunday due to a severe heatwave and heightened wildfire risk, with temperatures expected to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius.

It's not quite been the hottest day of the year, but temperatures peaked at 33C in the UK today as England entered its fourth heatwave of the summer. As evening draws in, amber and yellow health alerts remain in place for all of England, lasting until 18:00 BST tomorrow.

The dramatic weather comes as red alerts have been issued for France and Spain with residents urged to stay "absolutely vigilant".