According to the organisation’s deputy head of operations, Patrícia Gaspar, the number increased from Monday’s tally of 36 after the death on Tuesday of a person who had been taken to hospital in Coimbra.

At the ANPC latest regular briefing on the situation, at its headquarters in Oeiras, near Lisbon, Gaspar said that the largest number of deaths had been in the districts of Viseu and Coimbra. There were also two deaths in Guarda and another in Castelo Branco.

According to Gaspar, the fires also left 71 people injured, 16 of them seriously. She explained that of the latter group, two had since died, one on Monday at Viseu hospital and the other on Tuesday in Coimbra.

She added that six of the seven people who were missing had been found alive and uninjured. One more person is missing in Coimbra district.

According to the ANPC, by Tuesday late morning there were no significant fires still burning out of control.

Portugal’s weather office, IPMA, does not foresee significant levels of rainfall for Tuesday and Portugal remains under maximum ‘red’ alert until 8pm today.

Gaspar warned of the continued presence of potential fuel for more fires in the form of dry vegetation.

Until the end of October crop burning or the setting of any other fires in the vicinity of forests is banned.

According to the ANPC, on Monday 247 forest fires were reported. That followed the more than 500 reported on Sunday.