Lisbon, Portugal CNN —Swaths of Europe have been battered by deadly extreme weather, as rivers threaten to burst their banks in central Europe following torrential rainfall, and wildfires tear through Portugal. Seven people have now died in fires in Portugal since Sunday, including three firefighters, whose vehicle burst into flames on Tuesday. At least 17 have been killed in what authorities have called the worst floods to hit central and eastern Europe in decades. The mayor of Nysa in Poland ordered the evacuation of all 44,000 residents as water levels in the city’s river rose and threatened to send more floods through its neighborhoods. Local residents transport sandbags as they attempt to protect the embankment of the Nysa Klodzka river on Monday.

---

Persons: Grzegorz Grochowski, Nysa, ” Grochowski, “, Mateusz Slodkowski, Daniel Mihailescu, downpours, Octavio Passos, Pedro Nunes, Robert Shackelford Organizations: Portugal CNN, Reuters, Getty, Interior Ministry, Portuguese Civil Protection Agency, CNN, European Organisation, Firefighters Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Europe, Nysa, Poland, AFP, Romanian, Slobozia, Italy, Czech Republic, Ladek, Jesenik, Czech, Polish, Ostrava, Porto, Almofrela, Canas de Senhorim, Portuguese, CNN Portugal