Two firefighters lost their lives, and three others were critically injured after their truck lost control and fell into a ravine during an emergency response in Portugal.
The tragic incident occurred at approximately 7 p.m. on Sunday in São Francisco de Assis, as the firefighters were responding to a blaze in Quinta do Campo, Fundão.
The fire engine veered off the road and crashed into a ravine, leaving devastation in its wake.
One of the injured firefighters had to be airlifted by helicopter to Coimbra, SIC Notícias reports.
The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) reported that 26 personnel were dispatched to the location, aided by nine vehicles and an aircraft.
Additionally, personnel from Covilhã and Fundão Volunteer Firefighters, the National Republican Guard (GNR), and the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) were called to assist.
ANEPC honored the fallen in a statement: “We cannot overstate the dedication, selflessness, and professionalism that countless firefighters across the nation exhibit daily as they bravely and devotedly protect people and the wilderness from fires.”
The force offered condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also expressed his condolences, mourning “the tragic loss” of a firefighter who died “in service to the community” while combating rural fires.
The head of state highlighted the sacrifice of firefighters nationwide, noting the crash came after “10 days of uninterrupted donation without limits of time and space” by those on the frontlines.
Portugal is battling hundreds of raging wildfires that have swept across the country in recent weeks, part of a wave of deadly blazes scorching southern Europe.
Terrifying footage even showed a rare fire tornado erupting in the northern region of Aguiar de Beira, underlining the extreme conditions firefighters are facing.
Just weeks ago, a former mayor of Vila Franca do Deão lost his life fighting the flames — bringing the death toll from this year’s fires in Portugal to three.
Nearly 4,000 firefighters have been deployed across Portugal, backed by aircraft and emergency teams from neighbouring Spain.
The government has extended its high-risk alert, warning that more blazes could flare as searing heat and strong winds continue.
Elsewhere, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Italy and Bulgaria have all been ravaged by infernos this summer.
Tenerife saw mass evacuations after fires surged towards popular tourist resorts, while in Turkey at least 17 people have died as record-breaking 50C heat and gale-force winds fuelled disaster.
