Thousands of people in Spain, France, Portugal and the Balkans have been forced to evacuate their homes this week, as deadly wildfires have raged through Southern Europe.
It follows deadly blazes that have ravaged Europe since late June , with further wildfires also broke out in London on Monday.
"Don't be fooled — this isn't 'normal, or just summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare," Serge Zaka, an agricultural climatologist, told broadcaster BFMTV in France.
The extreme heat comes amidst what is predicted to be the second or third-hottest year on record, according to Carbon Brief. And temperatures may reach above 44C in parts of Europe this week, according to forecasters.
If you’ve made plans to travel to one of these perennially popular holiday destinations and think your trip might be affected, here’s an overview of the effects of the wildfires in each country.
Spain
A fire in Tres Cantos, near Madrid, has led over 3,7000 people to evacuate from 16 municipalities, amidst reports of two human and 168 animal deaths.
A man, who suffered burns to 98 per cent of his body, died after being airlifted to La Paz hospital, according to The Community of Madrid.
Fires are reported in the north-western region of Castilla y León, including one that caused damage to a Unesco world heritage-listed Roman-era mining site at Les Médulas.
The fire burned through 3,000 hectares of land in Ourense province. In the southern town of Tarifa, 2,000 people were evacuated due to a fire.
National services on stand-by and almost 1,000 armed forces have joined firefighting efforts.
Meanwhile, police said they arrested a firefighter near Avila, north-west of Madrid, who admitted to starting a fire about two weeks ago in pursuit of potential income from putting it out.
On Wednesday, Madrid-Barajas airport, the closest to the blaze, was still operating. However, travel within the region may be impacted. Trains between north-western Galicia and Madrid are halted, according to the country’s rail operator.
Portugal
Fires are also raging in Portugal’s Trancoso municipality, with over 700 firefighters working to put out the flames northeast of Lisbon.
"We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue," said Alexandre Favaios, a mayor in Portugal.
On Wednesday afternoon, Francisco Sá Carneiro airport in Porto, the closest to the fire, was still operating, however there were some minor delays in arrivals and departures.
France
On Monday, the French national weather authority, Meteo-France, put 12 departments on red alert, the nation’s highest heat warning, which has only been issued eight times since it was introduced in 2004.
It follows a fire in the Aude region last week, which burned 4,000 acres. Officials report that the fire is under control but may not be fully extinguished for weeks.
Flights were still operating to Carcassonne, the nearest airport to Aude, on Wednesday.
Albania
Wildfires in Albania have killed an elderly man and injured eight others.
On Tuesday, Albanian Defense Minister Pirro Vengu said that 37 forest fires had been reported nationwide, with 30 still burning. Evacuations have taken place in villages in the provinces of Elbasan, Vlora and Berat.
No airport closures have been reported.
Greece
Over 152 new fires broke out in Greece yesterday, with evacuations in dozens of villages, as intense drought and strong winds intensified the flames.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from the touristy islands of Chios and Zakynthos.
Flames also swept into Patras, in the western Peloponnese, destroying homes, businesses and vehicles.
Three fire fronts of over 15km are currently uncontained in Zante.
"Today, it will be another very difficult day, as the wildfire risk for most of the country's regions will be very high," Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, the fire brigade spokesman, said.
At least 13 firefighters have been treated with injuries. Rescue boats have been evacuating people trapped on Chios.
At present, no flight cancellations related to the fires have been reported.
Montenegro
Wildfires near Gornja Vrbica, Podgorica, were contained on Tuesday, preventing flames from reaching a church and cemetery, according to local reports.
However, a soldier died and another was seriously injured when their water tanker overturned as they fought flames in the hills of the north of the capital.
Families have been evacuated from a region north of the capital, as army units attempted to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Duklja.
Emergency official Nikola Bojanovic said the situation was “catastrophic.” Authorities told residents to save drinking water.
At present, no flight cancellations related to the fires have been reported.
Turkey
Hundreds of residents have also been evacuated in Turkey, due to a fire in the north-western province of Çanakkale.
Holiday homes and a university campus have also been evacuated.
However, no flight cancellations have been reported.
Bulgaria
159 new fires were reported in Bulgaria yesterday, according to local reports.
The fire has returned to a “low-intensity state” and is not expected to spread further, but it has caused severe damage in Pirin.
“The scale of the loss is immeasurable. Behind us is an apocalyptic scene, a disaster we have been fighting for 18 days. The people here have not seen fires like this in recent years,” Pirin National Park Director Rosen Banenski, told Novinite.
No flight cancellations have been reported.
