Explainer: How climate change is fuelling wildfires in Europe
Wildfires have scorched hotspots in several Mediterranean countries this month, with blazes forcing thousands of people into lockdown in Catalonia in Spain, and encroaching on France's second-biggest city of Marseille.
Here's what drives wildfires across Europe, and the situation so far this year.
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The Irish Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'
DEVASTATING wildfires have once again erupted in Turkey with hundreds of people evacuated as massive blazes continue to rip through the country. The president of the country has warned of a "truly great disaster" after at least Advertisement 10 A view of smoke rising from a forest fire burning in the mountainous area in Turkey Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Ridvan Bostanci/IHA via AP) Credit: AP 10 Turkish General Directorate of Forestry teams and firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the forested areas in Alanya and Gazipasa Credit: Getty 10 Smoke and flames rise among the trees as villagers are being evacuated after a forest fire Credit: Getty New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Advertisement read more world news Homes were evacuated in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country faced "a truly great disaster" after 25,000 people got involved in the emergency effort. Two burned alive in Cyprus & another 10 killed in Turkey in horror wildfires On Thursday, at least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey. Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. Advertisement He said that ten firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, Yumakli said late on Wednesday, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three Turkish provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe. Advertisement 10 Smoke rises from the burnt area as firefighting efforts continue on the third day of forest fires in Turkish city of Karabuk on July 25 Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey Credit: AP 10 Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Osmaneli in the western Bilecik province, Turkey Credit: Reuters 10 Advertisement Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated. Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was showing a tendency to grow, and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat. "The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centres, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries." Advertisement At 46.1°C, July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Turkey has faced Firefighters were Residents watched in Advertisement Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the Meanwhile, Cyprus has been hit with its heatwave will fuel the blaze even further. The country has plunged into chaos after two people were burnt alive and more than 70 houses were destroyed. 10 Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire the Cypriot village of Omodos Credit: AFP Advertisement 10 Residents try to extinguish the blazes in Cyprus Credit: AP
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Horrified Brits reveal smouldering shell of Cyprus home torn apart by huge wildfire after fleeing with seconds to spare
THIS is the moment a British family returned to their smouldering home in Cyprus after it was destroyed by a deadly wildfire. Lucy, 37, and Ben Armstrong, 38, grabbed their toddler, packed a few bags and bundled their three dogs into the car as flames closed in on their village of Souni. 9 Lucy and Ben Armstrong fled their home in Souni, Cyprus with their toddler Ethan 9 The damage to the family's home, captured in drone footage shot by Ben, who is a filmmaker 9 The family hoped their home might be spared as their neighbours' homes were The Armstrongs, who tied the knot last October, have called the quaint village home for the past four years. When they first saw smoke curling over the Troodos mountains, they didn't panic - plenty of wildfires hit the Mediterranean island every summer . But this time was different. It was the worst wildfire Cyprus had seen in half a century. Two people were killed in a car trying to flee, and over 70 houses were destroyed amid a scorching 43C heatwave. The fires began on Wednesday afternoon and swept across 40 square miles in the south, mainly in Limassol District, where the village of Souni is located. Speaking to The Sun, Ben said: "We lost everything that day, there's nothing left. "We had fish tanks in the house and there was absolutely nothing left of what was in the water except melted glass on the floor." The couple described the stress of packing in the dark as the flames neared - made worse by the bad luck of experiencing a power cut that day. Most read in The Sun They told their son Ethan to stuff as many toys as he could into a bag while they raced around the house grabbing what they could. Ben said: "Our son is quite defiant at times and he was so compliant. "He was really scared, because he knew mummy and daddy were panicking, and we were in the dark." Two burned alive in Cyprus & another 10 killed in Turkey in horror wildfires Discussing the day their lives were turned upside down, Lucy said it was 'a normal day'. She first noticed the smoke while picking up Ethan from kindergarten. "As I was driving back on the motorway I could see smoke up the hills towards where we live," she said. "The smoke just kept coming, it started getting thicker, covering the sun and the sun was turning red." By around 7pm the family of three decided to drive up to a viewpoint at the nearby village of Kyvides. There, all they could see was "a stretch of fire and smoke". In that moment, the couple knew they had to evacuate fast and quickly alerted their close-knit community on WhatsApp . Ben said: "We didn't realise how little time we had. I'm a filmmaker and photographer, so was upstairs in the office packing all my gear and shouting down to Lucy, 'how's it looking?' "She was saying, 'it's glowing over the hills'. That's when I looked out the window, and thought 'oh my god, you can see flames now'. Adding to the stress, the Armstrongs had been without water or electricity for 24 hours. Ben said: "We were in the dark, so we had to make sure we were keeping an eye on our three-year-old son while running around and still trying to pack stuff. "So I gave him a bag for life kind of thing and told him to grab as many toys as he wants." 9 The couple had been living in the home for the past four years 9 Lucy and Ben believe their home could have been saved if there had been more firefighting support in Souni 9 The sheer destruction to the family's home They left the house just before 9pm, rushing to Lucy's parents home, which is a 15-minute drive away. "We all stank of smoke and were sweating. Ethan's also been quite ill from the smoke in the last couple of days. "I'm pretty sure he's had some sort of smoke inhalation - or it could just be from the stress of the situation," Lucy said. After a sleepless night, fearing they might have to evacuate again and unsure if their home had survived, Ben set out at 5am. "I followed his location the whole way up and my heart was racing," Lucy said, weeping as she recalled it. "I called him as soon as he got to our home and he said, 'Lucy, it's gone'. "All the other houses on our street were okay, so he had hope he was going to come up to our home and everything would be fine." Lucy, who runs a kids' entertainment business , lost at least £8,000 worth of bouncy castles and bubble houses in the fire. But what upsets her the most is that it's the place where they have "so many memories", including Ethan taking his first steps . The couple said four officials from the Cypriot government showed up on Friday morning, asking them to list everything they'd lost - from white goods and TVs to couches - to claim money from the disaster relief fund. While they said the Cypriot government has been "really organised" in terms of its reparation efforts, the couple believe there were not enough resources to tackle the wildfires. "We didn't see any firefighters in our village, no police , no army. No one told us to evacuate, we were telling people to evacuate," Lucy said. The government has particularly faced criticism by residents and community leaders over its evacuations in Souni and Lofou and Souni. Speaking on state radio on Thursday, Cyprus' justice minister Marios Hartsiotis said the firefighting and rescue effort had been 'enormous' and that he had witnessed first-hand the wildfires' "shifting winds and intensity'. Lucy and Ben, who were told by "brave neighbours " that their house burnt down at around 2am in the morning, believe that it could have been saved if there had been greater assistance on the ground. Lucy said there are other families in Souni who feel the same. But the couple are choosing to focus on the positives, saying they've been deeply moved by the kindness of their community. "You never think you're going to be one of these people that are in need of handouts," Lucy said. "But the Cypriot people are just so kind. I can't speak highly enough of them." She noted that Ethan's headteacher has given him clothes and is even buying him new shoes, while parents from the school have been keen to donate money. Christos, the owner of their local taverna, has opened up despite having no power or water, and taken it upon himself to feed the community, Lucy said. The family plans to eventually move back to the village of Souni and rebuild their home and their lives. Read more on the Irish Sun "We love the people in that area. It's a beautiful area, it will recover," said Lucy, adding that she hopes to organise re-planting fire-resistant trees. For now, with the village still reeking of smoke and memories of their destroyed home still raw, they're grateful to be living elsewhere - and to be alive. 9 The couple's burnt home 9 Burnt homes in Souni 9 Residents try to extinguish the blazes Credit: AP
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Greece considers water-saving moves as heatwave intensifies
Greece has announced plans to "urgently" overhaul its water management as temperatures continued to rise during a week-long heatwave. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the cabinet had discussed plans to make water companies more "viable", noting that reserves in Athens were down 50% compared to three years ago. There will be additional use of desalination technology and water reuse, the premier's office said, adding that Greece globally ranked 19th in terms of drought risk. The National Observatory of Athens recently warned that, following high temperatures and low rainfall in June, almost all of Greece displayed above-normal drought levels for this time of year. Temperatures continued to rise in a heatwave expected to last until Sunday. Between 40C and 44C are expected in the eastern, central, and northern inland regions, as well as on the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea, according to the website of the Athens National Observatory. In Athens, the heat reached 36.3C around 1.30pm (11.30am Irish time). It is expected to rise to 42C tomorrow according to To protect visitors and guards, Greek authorities have closed the Acropolis in Athens during the hottest hours of the day, between 1pm and 6pm, until Friday. The Greek government has also banned outdoor work in several sectors during the hottest hours to minimise health risks. "It's inhumane to work in such conditions. The asphalt is boiling," Panagiotis Arvanitidis, a member of the food delivery workers' union in the Thessaloniki region (north), said. "The ambient temperature in my home over the past two days has exceeded 30C," said another Athens resident. "Without air conditioning, survival is impossible!" she added. The heatwave's highest temperatures so far were recorded on Tuesday at Tragana, central Greece, at 44.9C, according to A Mediterranean country accustomed to intense summer heatwaves, Greece last year experienced its hottest summer on record.
