Wildfires rage in Greece and Turkey as extreme heat persists

Greece continued to battle major wildfires across the country amid a severe heatwave, but firefighters have brought many outbreaks under control.

Extreme heat persisted, with temperatures reaching 42.4C (108.32F) in central Greece on Sunday.

Firefighters were working on five major fire fronts late on Sunday in the Peloponnese area west of Athens, as well as on the islands of Evia, Kythira and Crete.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Turkey has recorded its highest ever temperature as fires raged in several regions.

Turkey’s forestry minister, Ibrahim Yumakli, said on Sunday that areas affected by fires were “going through risky times” and that he thought it would be several days before they were fully contained.

On Saturday, Turkey’s environment ministry said meteorologists had recorded a reading of 50.5C in the south-eastern city of Silopi, surpassing the previous heat record of 49.5C.

Firefighters have faced a four-day battle to contain a fire in the northern Karabuk province, AFP news agency reported on Sunday. On Wednesday, 10 people died fighting a fire in Eskisehir, a province in the north-west, it added.

Some local authorities have announced restrictions on water consumption, including for the resort of Cesme on Turkey’s west coast.

In Greece, high winds continued to fan the flames on Sunday. The country formally requested assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for six firefighting aircraft.

Fire brigade spokesman Vasilios Vathrakoyannis said early on Sunday that the situation had improved after an “all night battle”.

Climate crisis and civil protection minister Giannis Kefalogiannis previously said: “We have injured firefighters, human lives were put at risk, properties have been burned, and forest areas have been destroyed.”

In Kythira, a blaze spread rapidly after breaking out on Saturday morning in the village of Pitsinades. According to initial estimates, about 20% of the island has been affected by the fire.

New evacuation alerts were issued on Sunday ordering residents of several villages to leave.

By dawn, firefighters were still tackling flare-ups, supported by helicopters and two water-bombing aircraft.

On the island of Evia, officials said a blaze near Pissona had got “out of control” on Saturday. Six firefighters were taken to hospital with burns and smoke inhalation, while several villages were left without power.

In Messinia, a third wildfire broke out in the Polithea area of Trifylia on Saturday morning and intensified later in the day. Officials reported significant damage to homes and agricultural land.

On Sunday, Vathrakoyannis said 67 firefighters were attending the Kythira fire and 100 were in Messinia, where an active front remained.

In Attica, the region where Athens is, a fire that started in Afidnes on Saturday spread rapidly through Drosopigi, Kryoneri and Agios Stefanos, forcing residents to flee.

While the fire service says the main front had been contained, scattered hotspots continue to burn.

Meanwhile, in Crete’s Chania region, firefighters were battling a 20km wildfire front that swept through forest land, beehives, crops and livestock.

Strong southwesterly winds were complicating efforts to contain flare-ups, while several villages remained without electricity.

Last month, fires on Greece’s fifth-biggest island Chios, in the northern Aegean, destroyed 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) of land.

Earlier in July, a wildfire on the island of Crete forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists.