Pope Francis expressed solidarity with victims of Madeira wildfires in Portugal

Pope Francis sent his condolences and sympathies to the victims of the raging wildfires in Portugal that killed at least four and evacuated thousands.

Bishop António José Cavaco Carrilho of Funchal, Portugal read out Tuesday during a mass service the pontiff's letter that extended "solidarity and spiritual closeness" with the wildfire victims and shared his prayer for "courage and consolation in Christian hope."

"We cannot but remember those who have died and express our deepest solidarity to all who have experienced angst and suffering, in particular those who have lost their homes and belongings," read Bishop Carrilho, according to Catholic Herald.

The wildfires that "appalled" the pope started Aug. 9 as a series of fires lit up by arsonists, some of whom the police claimed to have arrested already.

"This abnormal situation surpasses the normal response capacity of our forces," said Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, as reported by Reuters.

The strong winds and high temperature further fanned the fires in the island of Madeira and spread to the region of Funchal. Authorities reportedly sent out at least 2,000 firefighters to combat the hundreds of devouring wildfires.

The European Union community pitched in to help quell the wildfires that seemed out of control. Lisbon sent more than a hundred emergency service workers, Spain and Morocco sent two planes, Italy sent an aircraft, and East Timor donated €2M.

The U.K. also sent a bulk of specialist equipment while the Russian Helicopters sent helicopters, which Ka-32A11BC multirole helicopters prided for its "ability to extinguish fires quickly and effectively in the most difficult situations."

"The Ka-32A11BC multirole helicopters, produced by the Russian Helicopters holding, have taken part in extinguishing major fires on Portugal's Madeira Island," the Russian Helicopters company said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

According to the Associated Press, the EU's Forest Fire Information System reported that the recent wildfires in Portugal already made up nearly 116,000 hectares (286,600 acres) or almost half of more than 217,000 hectares (536,200 acres) of charred forest land in the 28-nation EU bloc.