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A drone captures images of smoke rising from a wildfire in Harmancik, located in Turkey’s northwestern Bursa province, on July 28, 2025. — Reuters
– Three Turkish firefighters have died in a vehicle crash.
– Greece experienced 44 wildfires within a 24-hour period.
– Albania has deployed 900 firefighters near tourist areas.
In Athens: Firefighters worked Monday to extinguish wildfires across three Turkish provinces, Greece, and near a popular tourist destination in Albania. These fires were fueled by strong winds after several days of intense heat across the Mediterranean region.
Thick smoke spread over Karabuk, a mountainous Black Sea province about 125 miles north of Ankara. A wildfire burning for a sixth day prompted the evacuation of more than a dozen villages and consumed large forested areas.
In Bursa, Turkey, three firefighters died Sunday when their vehicle crashed, according to the Forestry Ministry. Fire crews tackled two separate blazes in the region on Monday, after evacuating over 3,600 residents from communities in Mersin and Antalya in the south.
Turkey has seen dozens of wildfires recently due to soaring temperatures, including a deadly blaze last week in Eskisehir that claimed the lives of 10 firefighters.
While hot and dry conditions are typical for the Mediterranean summers, recent extreme heatwaves have increased the severity and frequency of destructive wildfires globally.
In Greece: The fire brigade reported at least 44 wildfires in the past 24 hours. On the island of Kythera, strong winds reignited a blaze that started Saturday. Near Athens, firefighters quickly contained a fire at the base of Mount Hymettus, near a university and densely populated suburbs.
In Albania: Over 900 firefighters, supported by the army, fought to control a wildfire heading toward the coastal city of Saranda and other tourist spots along the Ionian coast. Police reported 13 arrests related to arson over the past three days.
Bulgaria also contributed firefighting aircraft, aided by several European nations, to control a large wildfire near the Bulgarian-Turkish border. So far, around 16,000 acres have burned. Authorities have detained two individuals, investigating the origins of the fires.
During the weekend, several Greek villages were evacuated, and five people were injured in various wildfires.
As Greece managed its third heatwave of the summer on Monday, rainy weather in Serbia helped firefighters control over 100 wildfires.
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