Firefighters in Turkey are battling multiple wildfires that have broken out across the country amid a brutal heatwave, officials said on Monday. The fires have killed at least 14 people in the past week alone and forced the evacuation of 19 villages and more than 3,500 people from their homes.

Temperatures have topped 40°C across much of the country, with the southeastern town of Silopi, near the border with Iraq and Syria, hitting a record high of 50.5°C on Friday.

Fires are raging in the northwestern Bursa region, Karabuk in the north and Kahramanmaras in the south. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said five fires had been brought under control in four provinces, but strong winds were hampering efforts. “When there is wind, planes cannot take off, and sometimes it takes us hours, even days, to get the fire under control,” he stressed.

In the Safranbolu region alone, 19 villages were evacuated, and around Bursa, more than 3,500 people were evacuated. One firefighter died of a heart attack on Saturday, and three people died on Sunday in an accident involving a water tanker used in the fight, the Bursa provincial government said. Earlier last week, on Wednesday, a fire claimed the lives of at least 10 forestry workers and rescue workers near Eskisehir in the western part of the country.

Fires subside in Greece

Across the Aegean Sea, in Greece, where summer fires also caused heavy damage and led to mass evacuations, the situation is calmer by this time. According to a spokesman for the fire department in Athens, there are currently no active fronts, only isolated outbreaks. The heatwave that has gripped the country for the past week with temperatures above 40°C is starting to subside, but authorities remain on high alert.

55 new fires broke out in Greece over the weekend, with all but five brought under control. | BGNES