By The Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The Latest on the fatal wildfires in Portugal (all times local):

An official with Portugal’s Air Accident Office says a Canadair water-dropping plane has crashed in central Portugal while fighting wildfires that killed 64 people. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The fires have claimed the lives at least 64 people since Saturday

Reports that a firefighting plane crashed during an operation to tackle huge blazes in central Portugal have been denied by the country's civil protection authority. She says her office immediately sent a crash investigation team to the area, but that she had no details about the plane, its crew or where the crash happened. Portugal fires: Varzeas mourns villagers who fled

Civil protection officials have said they expect the blazes to be under control soon, but warn that soaring temperatures are hampering efforts. Portugal’s secretary of state for the interior, Jorge Gomes, said: “We are investigating if (the reports) are true.”

Civil Protection Agency spokesman Fausto Coutinho says authorities had received reports of a plane crash near where wildfires are raging and dispatched a helicopter to check. The Civil Protection Agency said about 1,200 firefighters and nine water-dropping aircraft were fighting the deadly wildfire in Pedrogao Grande, which was raging for a third consecutive day about 90 miles north of Lisbon. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Antonio Costa ordered an investigation into what happened on Saturday night when the deaths occurred, 47 of them on a road as people fled the flames.
A Canadair firefighting plane reportedly crashes in Pedrógão Grande, central Portugal, while tackling raging wildfires. However, this claim has been denied by Portuguese authorities.