Firefighters tackle blazes as wildfires break out in Greece, Turkey and Albania
Firefighters are battling blazes that have broken out across several countries in southeast Europe, fuelled by dry conditions, high winds and extreme temperatures.
A firefighter has died and thousands of people have been evacuated in a weekend that has seen dozens of fires scorch forests and burn houses to the ground.
More than 50 wildfires have erupted in Greece in the past 24 hours, leading to evacuations in some Athens suburbs and a request to the EU for six firefighting planes.
A politician in Turkey’s fourth-largest city of Bursa described the scene as “an apocalypse” as forests burned and more than 1,100 firefighters tried to control the flames.
Turkey
Wildfires have engulfed Turkey for weeks, and on Friday the government declared two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster areas.
Fire crews confronted 76 separate blazes across the country on Saturday, forestry minister Ibrahim Yamukli said.
Almost 1,800 people were forced to flee their homes in villages to the northeast of Bursa, where a firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city’s mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said.
Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, described the scene as “an apocalypse”.
Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5C (123F) in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday.
Fourteen people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in the west of the country.
Greece
Parts of Athens have been evacuated after more than 50 wildfires broke out in 24 hours.
People living in the suburb of Kryoneri, around 12.5 miles (20 km) northeast of the Greek capital, were told to move to safe areas on Saturday.
At least five people, most of them elderly with respiratory problems, have been treated in hospital for burns or smoke inhalation.
Photos showed houses and tree-covered hills on fire as temperatures hit 38C (100F), and dry conditions and high winds fanned the flames.
Fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis said that under such conditions, wildfires “expand very quickly and become dangerous”, adding: “These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days.”
There have been reports of damage, he said, and authorities “will take stock when the fires have been put out”.
At least 335 firefighters are also battling three major fires on Greece’s two largest islands – Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens – and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete.
Greece has also received support from the Czech Republic, with a fire service based there saying they sent a team to support Greek firefighters battling a forest blaze near the town of Nea Artaki.
Albania
In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday, which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents.
Kosovo
In Kosovo, firefighters managed to extinguish 17 blazes fuelled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said.
Eight cows were killed in the southern town of Prizren, after a fire engulfed a farm, local emergency services said, while 40 sheep died in a fire in the east of the country.