A civil protection agency official confirmed the death and injuries, but said he could not immediately provide more information about what happened to the firefighters sent today to put out a fire in the municipality of Tondela, in north central Portugal about a three-hour drive from the capital of Lisbon.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules preventing him from being named.
Numerous fires have broken out in three regions of north central and northern Portugal in recent days, and Portuguese media say 700 firefighters are battling the blazes.