Watch: Firefighters battle blaze on Spain-Portugal border

Firefighters from Portugal and Spain worked jointly on Sunday (August 5) to contain a forest fire near their shared border, as temperatures in southern Europe climbed towards record highs in the Iberian Peninsula.

Europe is experiencing a heatwave that has brought drought and wildfires from Greece to Sweden. Spanish authorities issued on Sunday a warning that the entire southern region of Extremadura is at an extreme risk of wildfires.

Flames engulfed dry trees and shrubs, burning through Saturday night and into Sunday in the town of San Vicente de Alcantara, near Badajoz in southwestern Spain, where temperatures were expected to reach 43 Celsius on Sunday, according to Spain's meteorological service (AEMET).

The fire was stabilised as of Sunday morning but not yet controlled, Spanish emergency services said on Twitter.