Over 1,300 firefighters are battling major wildfires in east Portugal.

At least nine people have been reported injured in the fires.

The fires broke out in three places yesterday in the Castelo Branco district – around 200km from Lisbon.

Portugal's Civil Protection Authority said firefighters are being assisted 10 firefighting aircraft as well as hundreds of vehicles.

One injured civilian was taken to hospital and the others have all been firefighters.

In this grab taken from video provided by TVI, members of the emergency services try to extinguish wildfires, in Vila de Rei, Portugal, 20-07-2019. Image: TVI via AP

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Portuguese president, said he would be in contact with the mayors in the affected areas.

A statement on the presidential website said: "Aware of adverse weather conditions, the President of the Republic conveys all solidarity to the men and women who fight them, as well as to the most directly affected populations, accompanied by all the Portuguese."

It marks the first major wildfire in Portugal this year.

In 2017, 106 people were killed in some of the country's deadliest fires on record.

The Portuguese government backed stronger firefighting prevention methods after the heavy death toll of that year and there were no wildfire deaths in 2018.

With reporting from IRN ...