LISBON — Emergency services personnel in Portugal said Tuesday they were making headway in controlling a major wildfire that has killed 64 people in the central area of the country, but another blaze nearby grew in size and there were reports that a water-dropping plane had crashed.

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. Officials said that the blaze was mostly contained, although it was still burning fiercely.

Later in the day, an official with Portugal’s Air Accident Office said a Canadair water-dropping plane had crashed in central Portugal while fighting the wildfires.

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, she said.

Associated Press