A fireman has died fighting the flames in Villareal, in the northeast of Portugal, one of his colleagues was injured.

It follows the death of an emergency worker in an accident on Friday while on his way to tackle a blaze in Ferreiros in the centre of the country. In total six firefighters have died during operations this year.

Dozens of brigades were in action on Saturday as the weather forecast brought bad news - it is set to get even hotter over the next few days.

Around 118,000 hectares have gone up in flames this year as Portugal experiences its worst drought in 60 years. Large swathes of the countryside were devastated by fires two summers ago when a heatwave struck.

PHOTO CAPTION

Firefighters prepare to tackle a blaze in Portugal's Serra da Estrela park, August 8, 2005. (AFP)