A spate of wildfires in central and north Portugal which started at the weekend has killed at least 39 people. <br/><br/>Civil Defence authorities said dozens of the 145 fires still raging are considered serious. <br/><br/>To the north, fires which broke out across the border in Spain's Galicia region claimed at least three lives. <br/><br/>Thousands of firefighters are battling the flames, which erupted after a hot dry summer. <br/><br/>Conditions were worsened by Hurricane Ophelia, as it approached Europe's western coast, bringing strong winds to fan and spread the flames. <br/><br/>More than 50 people have also been injured in Portugal, 15 are reported to be in a serious condition. Local media said several people are still missing there.<br/><br/>In Spain, two of the victims were found in a burned-out car by the side of the road. Rain is forecast for the affected regions.<br/><br/>A state of emergency has been declared in Portugal north of the Tagus river – about half of the country's land area. More than 6,000 firefighters in 1,800 vehicles were deployed on Monday. <br/><br/>As a result of the fires, at least a dozen roads were closed, as well as schools in some places. The Portuguese deaths were in the Coimbra, Guarda, Castelo Branca and Viseu areas.