Wildfires spread across Europe

Wildfires spread across Europe
by AFP Staff Writers
Istanbul (AFP) July 5, 2025

Several wildfires broke out on Saturday across European countries including Greece, Turkey and France, whose southern regions are battling multiple fires following a prolonged heatwave.

In Turkey, where firefighters have battled more than 600 fires in the drought-hit nation over the past week, authorities said a forestry worker injured while fighting the flames in the province of Izmir had died of his injuries.

The blaze, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of the coastal resort of Izmir, had already claimed the lives of an 81-year-old bedridden man and a 39-year-old forestry worker on Thursday.

The fire was brought under control on Friday evening, along with six other forest fires mainly in western and central Turkey, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X.

But firefighters on Saturday were still battling a fire in the southern coastal area of Dortyol, near the Syrian border.

Turkey has largely escaped the recent heatwaves that swept southern Europe, but strong winds have intensified the forest fires.

French weather service Meteo-France said on Saturday the punishing heatwave that began on June 19 had officially ended on Friday, lasting in all 16 days -- the same length as the country's deadly 2003 heatwave.

That same day, however, the first major fires of the season broke out in the south, as well as in the Bouches-du-Rhone and Herault departments, leading authorities to shut down portions of a key motorway during the first weekend of the summer holiday season.

Traffic jams reached up to 10 kilometres in each direction on the A9 motorway, with water being distributed to the numerous motorists stranded under the blazing sun.

In Mireval, near the southern city of Montpellier, a blaze fanned by swirling winds led firefighters to evacuate about 10 people.

"It was very frightening, especially between 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) and 6:30 pm. The air was unbearable to breathe, there was a lot of smoke in the village, you couldn't see anything anymore and large ashes were falling from the sky," said 46-year-old resident Lorette Gargaud.

In Greece, a 52-year-old man was arrested on the island of Evia, accused of starting the fire that devastated part of the island between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

The man was allegedly clearing brush from a plot of land when the fire broke out and quickly got out of control, public broadcaster ERT reported.

Greek firefighters remained on high alert on Saturday due to high temperatures and strong winds across the country.

Syria battles forest fires for third day as Turkey sends help
Qastal Ma'Af, Syria (AFP) July 5, 2025 - Syrian emergency workers were battling forest fires raging in the coastal province of Latakia on Saturday for a third day in tough conditions as neighbouring Turkey sent assistance.

An AFP correspondent saw strong winds fanning the flames in forest areas and farmland in Qastal Maaf, around a dozen kilometres (eight miles) from the Turkish border, as residents continued to flee with what they could carry.

Some residential areas in the region were evacuated a day earlier.

Syria's ministry for emergencies and disaster management said teams from Turkey began helping on Saturday morning "as part of regional coordination to face the fires", with the assistance including two aircraft and eight fire trucks.

Turkey, a key supporter of Syria's new authorities, has been battling its own fires in recent days, including near the Syrian border.

The AFP correspondent saw helicopters bearing the Turkish flag flying over Qastal Maaf assisting firefighters on the ground.

Syria's civil defence said a volunteer firefighter suffered from smoke inhalation and a service vehicle caught fire.

More than 60 Syrian civil defence and other teams were fighting fires across several areas of Latakia province, the ministry said.

It cited "very difficult conditions, with the explosion of war remnants and mines", strong winds and high temperatures, adding that mountainous terrain was hampering efforts to reach some blazes.

More than six months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Syria is still reeling from more than a decade of civil war that also left munitions and ordnance scattered across the country.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves, low rainfall and major forest fires.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation told AFP that Syria had "not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years".

Third person dies as firefighters master west Turkey blazes
Istanbul (AFP) July 5, 2025 - A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir died of his injuries, raising the toll to three, a minister said Saturday, as the blaze at Odemis was brought under control.

Turkey was spared the recent heatwaves that hit the rest of southern Europe but firefighters have battled more than 600 fires in the drought-hit nation over the past week which have been fuelled by high winds.

The fire in Odemis district, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the resort city of Izmir, had on Thursday claimed the lives of a bedridden 81-year-old man and a 39-year-old forestry worker.

Another worker Ragip Sahin "who was injured while fighting the fire in Odemis and was being treated in hospital, has died," said Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli on X.

He said the Odemis blaze had been brought under control by Friday evening alongside six other wildfires, mostly in western and central Turkey, although firefighters were still trying to control a blaze in the southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province.

In a video on X, Odemis mayor Mustafa Turan said the fire had ravaged around 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of land.

"The fire came violently to this area, there is nothing left to burn. About 5,000 hectares was reduced to ashes," he said.

On Monday, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people to escape a string of fires.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 96 wildfires in Turkey this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land.

Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and more intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkey to take measures to tackle the problem.