"The 65-year-old man, a bulldozer operator for a private company contracted by the Mirandela municipality, died shortly before midnight," Commander Paulo Santos of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told Lusa.

Mirandela fire chief Luis Soares told Lusa that the man was run over by his own machine while creating a containment strip for the rural fire in Freixeda.

"The circumstances surrounding this incident are still unknown," he said, adding that the case has been handed over to the GNR (National Republican Guard).

The President of the Republic has already sent his condolences to the family of the Mirandela operative.

In a statement published on the Presidency of the Republic's website, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his "deepest condolences to the family of the operative of an entity collaborating with the Mirandela City Council," which he extended to the mayor.

The fire started in Mirandela on Sunday and spread to several villages in the municipality of Vila Flor. At 9:45 a.m., the fire was being fought by 325 operatives, supported by 108 vehicles and two aircraft.