Mojnews-More than a thousand firefighters battled Sunday to control wildfires in central Portugal that have forced village evacuations, in a region where dozens were killed in huge blazes in 2017.

The firefighters were deployed to tackle three fires in the mountainous and heavily forested Castelo Branco region, 200 kilometers north of Lisbon, according to the website of the Civil Protection.

Around 20 helicopters and aeroplanes were involved in efforts to douse the flames before nightfall made further flights impossible. A civilian who suffered serious injuries and was evacuated by helicopter to Lisbon, Luis Belo Costa, the commander of the civil protection for the region said.

Four firefighters were also reported injured, and a further three were hurt after their fire engine collided with another.

The army said in a statement it was dispatching twenty soldiers and machinery to open routes 'to facilitate access' for the firefighters.