Large swathes of Europe have been ablaze in the last week, as wildfires engulf some of the most popular summer tourist hotspots.
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.
One man has died in Madrid when a fire engulfed 1,000 hectares of land in one blaze.
A heatwave has gripped parts of Europe and sent temperatures soaring over 40C in southern France and Spain, leading to experts triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations.
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.
The fire has now been brought under control overnight.
Regional authorities confirmed on Tuesday that overnight conditions allowed crews to bring the blaze in the Tres Cantos area under control.
Madrid-Barajas airport, the closest to the blaze, is still operating but if you are travelling nearby, you should still be prepared for delayed as travel within the region may be impacted in the aftermath. Trains between north-western Galicia and Madrid are still halted, according to the country’s rail operator.
Portugal
Fires are still 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.
Flights to Francisco Sá Carneiro airport in Porto, the closest to the fire, have not been impacted.
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.
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.
Greek authorities are also warning of an elevated fire danger in several further regions as of Tuesday (August 19).
Several regions across the country have been placed under Category 3 (high danger) on the official Fire Risk Map released by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
The areas under increased risk are Attica, Thessaloniki, Boeotia, Euboea, Argolis, Corinthia, Achaia, Messinia, Aetolia-Acarnania, Preveza, Arta, Evros, Halkidiki, Mount Athos, the Dodecanese, Crete (Heraklion and Lasithi), as well as the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Psara, Samos, Ikaria, Thasos, the Sporades, and parts of the Ionian.
"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, flights into Greek airports all seem to be operating, with no cancellations because of the wildfires.
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.
No flight cancellations have been reported as yet, but authorities will make an announcement should that change.
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.
The Foreign Office doesn't advise against travelling to Bulgaria because of the fires, but it does say there is "danger of large-scale and quick-spreading fires". At present no flight delays or cancellations are reported.
