At least 14 people have died in the fires in Turkey in the past week and over 3,500 people have been evacuated from their homes, according to the authorities.
Five fires are now under control in four provinces, said Minister of Forestry and Agriculture Ibrahim Yumakli to the news agency AFP but added that the extinguishing work is hindered by strong winds.
Given the size and intensity of the fires, the state's ability to react quickly is sometimes limited. If it is windy, there are no planes and it takes hours, even days, to get control.
Several places in Europe
In Bulgaria, over 160 forest fires are raging on Monday and the country has requested help from the EU. During the day, two Swedish planes have been deployed to extinguish the fires together with helicopters from Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, and Romania.
Fires are also raging in several places in Greece, including in the Peloponnese region west of the capital Athens, as well as on the islands of Evia, Kythera, and Crete.
On the Iberian Peninsula, there are intense fires at the border between Portugal and Spain. Portuguese authorities have issued the highest warning for forest fires in large parts of the country.
Travel companies prepared
Travel organizers Apollo, Tui, and Ving currently have no travelers in the areas where the forest fires are raging in Greece, said the travel companies' press spokespeople to TT on Sunday.
In the event of fires, we follow the local authorities' assessments and have constant preparedness, according to Charlotte Hallencreutz at Ving's press service.
We are prepared to arrange buses and relocation to other hotels if needed, she said.
