Story highlights Dozens of people have been injured, including eight firefighters

Victims were caught in the blaze as they tried to flee, officials say

(CNN) A raging wildfire ripping through central Portugal has killed at least 62 people and injured dozens more in what officials there described as the "greatest wildfire tragedy of recent years."

Eight firefighters are among the injured and four of them are in critical condition, Portuguese Interior Minister Constanca Urbano de Sousa said.

She asked the Portuguese to stop sending supplies as teams on the ground already had more than they could manage and the influx of water, food and medical equipment was creating logistical difficulties.

The government has declared three days of mourning.

The head of Portugal's judiciary police told reporters the fire was started by lightning. "We have been able to determine that the origin of the fire was caused by dry thunderstorms," José Maria Almeida Rodrigues said, according to the Portuguese state-run news agency Lusa.

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