In southern Europe and Turkey, emergency services have been battling severe forest fires for days. In Greece, areas north of Athens, on the islands of Evia, Crete, and the Peloponnese peninsula are affected. In Turkey, fires are burning in the western Turkish province of Bursa and in the northwestern province of Karabük. Thousands of firefighters are deployed, and thousands of people have had to seek shelter from the flames. Fires are also repeatedly breaking out in Italy.

Athens asks for EU help

The Greek government has requested assistance from the EU Civil Protection Agency."We have requested six firefighting aircraft," said fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis. Two aircraft are expected from Italy this afternoon. Although Greece itself has more than 80 firefighting helicopters and aircraft, these are strategically distributed throughout the country due to the ongoing high risk of forest fires.

The fires in northern Athens, in particular, have now been brought under control. Dozens of injured people have been taken to hospitals, according to media reports. Most of the cases were caused by smoke inhalation. The fire department stated that there is no all-clear. Due to the persistent drought, meteorologists warned that even a single spark is enough to cause a wildfire.

On the Greek island of Kythira, authorities called on residents to evacuate. Several houses have already burned down, and a monastery is threatened by flames, Deputy Mayor Giorgos Komninos told broadcaster ERT. Turkey is also reporting severe fires.

In the Peloponnese and the island of Evia, Greek firefighters continued to battle the flames with support from Czech fire departments. Firefighting aircraft from Italy were also expected. On the Peloponnese peninsula, temperatures rose to 41.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

On the popular tourist island of Kythira, several dozen people were rescued from a beach by boat on Saturday. Dozens of firefighters and several firefighting aircraft and helicopters continued to fight the forest fire on Sunday.

Local emergency declared

Meanwhile, thousands of goats and sheep died in forest fires on the island of Euboea."The wind suddenly changed, and everything went up in flames," reported 38-year-old Sotiris Angelou."Our slaughterhouse burned down completely," he said, visibly shocked. Several villages were cut off from water supplies due to fire damage. Local authorities requested a state of emergency to expedite relief efforts.

On Crete, flames destroyed four houses and a church. The fire there is now under control. In the Athens suburb of Kryoneri, police increased their presence to protect the homes of residents who fled a nearby forest fire from possible looting."The wind was so strong, we were surrounded by flames," said Petros Avramopoulos, a local resident.

Greece has been experiencing a heatwave since Monday, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in large parts of the country. A high of 45.8 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded on Friday. Strong winds contributed to the spread of fires in the arid landscape. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described it as a"titanic battle" by firefighters battling dozens of fires online.

Residents and holidaymakers evacuated near Narbonne

Meanwhile, a forest fire on the French Mediterranean coast destroyed 630 hectares of vegetation, as well as several homes and farms. Approximately 1,000 residents and guests of two campsites near Port-la-Nouvelle near Narbonne were temporarily evacuated to safety. According to firefighters, the fire was stabilized on Sunday but still not under control. There, too, the fire was fanned by strong winds. The cause of the fire was initially unknown.

More than 600 firefighters, four firefighting planes and helicopters, and 180 vehicles were deployed in the area."We had to leave our goats and car behind and ran away very quickly," said 24-year-old Théo Balmigère from Sigean."The road was already cut off by the fire; it all happened very quickly." Two goats, three cars, and a hut were burned.

More than 1,700 people on the run in Bursa

Emergency services are also battling several forest fires in Turkey. In the western Turkish province of Bursa, the flames moved close to residential areas. According to authorities, more than 1,700 people were brought to safety, and an animal shelter was evacuated. According to official figures, more than 1,000 volunteers are battling the flames. The fire broke out on Saturday evening and spread quickly due to strong winds.

In the northwestern Turkish province of Karabük, firefighters have been battling flames for the fourth day in a row. 18 villages there have been evacuated. The cause of the fires was initially unclear. According to the Ministry of Justice, 21 people have been in pre-trial detention since the end of June due to numerous forest fires. Details were not disclosed.

Climate change causes extremes

Greece and Turkey, in particular, have experienced extreme heat and drought conditions in recent days. On Friday, the meteorological service recorded a record temperature of more than 50 degrees Celsius in Sirnak, southeastern Turkey. The previous heat record in Turkey was 49.5 degrees Celsius in August 2023.

While heat alone doesn't trigger fires, high temperatures, dryness, low humidity, and wind can increase the risk of wildfires. Experts blame climate change for the increasing extremes.

The Italian environmental organization Legambiente also warns of the consequences of climate change: longer periods of drought, less rainfall and more intense heat waves mean that the forest fire season starts earlier and lasts into autumn, increasing the likelihood of so-called mega-fires.

Italy also affected

According to the organization, nearly 31,000 hectares of land in Italy were damaged by fires from January to July. The Mediterranean island of Sicily was particularly hard hit. In addition to climate change, Italy is also battling arson and organized gangs that profit from arson or illegal waste disposal at the expense of the environment.

In southern Sardinia, the flames had already reached close to the beach. Escape routes for bathers were almost completely blocked by the fire. Evacuations of bathers by sea were significantly hampered by the strong Mistral wind that has been sweeping across southern Sardinia for hours. A fire department helicopter was also deployed to facilitate possible air rescues and provide aerial support to emergency services, the fire department said on Sunday.

Many swimmers tried to get to their cars—some of which had already been destroyed by the flames. Two Canadair firefighting aircraft are currently deployed to contain the fire. Additionally, two firefighting teams are fighting to prevent the fire from spreading and are attempting to secure the area.

In addition, the Italian fire service reports a significant increase in forest and vegetation fires: This week alone, emergency services responded to nearly 7,000 fires. Since the beginning of summer, around 33,000 such fires have been recorded nationwide – over 8,600 more than in the same period last year.