David Cameron holidaying near wildfire in Portugal

Around a dozen planes have also been called in to extinguish the fire in Algarve, near the village of Monchique, where the former prime minister is staying.

Sources told the Daily Mirror Mr Cameron, who is said to be with his family, was lunching in Monchique on Friday before the blaze started.

It is believed that he has been receiving updates on the fire from a British diplomat who had attended a press briefing held by Civil Protection workers on Saturday.

The wildfire is not an immediate threat to Mr Cameron, as the villa where he is staying is on the other side of the mountain where the fire started.

However, smoke from the blaze has travelled over to where he is, with more than 740 firefighter having been called in to battle the wildfire.

Civil Protection sent mobile text alerts warning the population of an extreme risk of fires in some regions, including around the capital Lisbon, in an attempt to prevent more deaths after 114 people died in two large forest blazes last year.

The fire began on Saturday in the Monchique area of the Southern Algarve region, which is popular with tourists. Authorities evacuated two villages in the area and 10 water-carrying aircrafts were mobilised to fight the blaze.

Europe faces its hottest day in history today as Britain and the continent is contending with killer heatwave conditions which have already claimed three lives.

In some of Britain’s favourite holiday resorts in Spain and Portugal the mercury was expected to nudge 49C and weather forecasters were predicting Europe’s highest ever temperatures at locations further inland.

Mr Cameron was elected to office in 2010, when the Conservatives formed a Coalition Government with the Liberal Democrats and was re-elected in 2015, when his party won a surprise majority.

However, after six years as Prime Minister he resigned over the British electorate’s decision to leave the EU, which Mr Cameron opposed.

He has since received heavy criticism for supporting the EU referendum that led to the vote, with many claiming it was arranged in an attempt to quell a civil war within the Conservative Party.