A rare heavy snowfall fell in parts of northeastern Turkey while other parts of the country battled a growing number of forest fires.

Experts say human-caused climate change is leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather events, from droughts to heatwaves and hailstorms.

Temperatures plunged in mountainous areas inland from Rize, a city on Turkey's northeastern Black Sea coast, about 120 kilometers from the border with Georgia.

Gencaga Karafazlioglu, a journalist in Rize, said he had never seen snow in July before, AFP reported.

"In Rize, we are used to weather anomalies. It snowed a few times in March, but never this much. The older generation says they saw snow in July 30 or 40 years ago, but never this much," Karafazlioglu said.

In Ovit Yaylasi, a plateau about 2,500 meters above sea level, fields were blanketed in white after a snowfall, as footage posted on social media showed.

The snowfall covered an area of ​​at least 100 kilometers, from Anzer Yaylasi through the Kakar National Park and beyond.

“The town of Artiv is the worst hit,” Karafazlioglu said. Artiv is about 50 kilometers inland.

Elsewhere, firefighters were battling at least 10 “major” forest fires, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.

The minister said the forest fires in Izmir province, where two people died on July 3 and temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days, were now largely under control.

He added that the flames, fanned by strong winds that threatened Mugla in the southwest of the country and Hatay in the south, were still a cause for concern.

Yumakli stressed that an “intense struggle” was underway to contain the fire in Hatay, which is close to the border with Syria.

624 forest fires had broken out in the past week. Many of them were caused by faulty electrical cables, he added.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects had been arrested and 10 were detained in connection with the fires. He explained that most of them were workers or farmers who used machinery that caused sparks. | BGNES