Wildfires Rage Across Mediterranean as Heatwave Fuels Widespread Evacuations

Wildfires fueled by scorching heat and strong winds swept through large swaths of southern Europe over the weekend, forcing thousands to evacuate from coastal resorts, mountain villages, and farmland across the Mediterranean basin.

From Italy’s Sardinia to Turkey, Greece, Albania, Kosovo, and Bulgaria, emergency services battled hundreds of blazes as the region endured record-breaking temperatures and prolonged drought conditions—hallmarks of a worsening summer wildfire season.

In Sardinia, dozens of beachgoers were forced to flee by boat on Sunday when a fast-moving blaze cut off other escape routes near Villasimius, in the island’s south. Firefighters reported that several cars were consumed by flames, and thick black smoke engulfed the coastline. Italy has been suffering through an intense summer heatwave, particularly in its arid southern regions.

Across the Aegean and Balkan front, Greek authorities grappled with simultaneous wildfires on the mainland and islands. In Drosopigi, north of Athens, explosions rang out near factories storing flammable materials as 145 firefighters and a fleet of helicopters and aircraft attempted to douse the flames. Residents in surrounding areas, including Krioneri and Messinia, were evacuated, with five people hospitalized for burns and smoke inhalation.

On the island of Evia, a key flashpoint in recent years, 128 firefighters supported by aerial units fought fires that injured five responders and damaged equipment. Coast Guard forces rescued 138 people from Limnionas beach on Kythera, including an infant, as the blaze closed in. Meanwhile, Albania faced 26 separate fire outbreaks on Saturday alone, prompting the evacuation of 2,000 people from the town of Delvina after a major blaze injured three.

Neighboring Kosovo reported extinguishing 17 fires, but 12 remained active. In Prizren, a fire engulfed a farm, killing eight cows, while another blaze in eastern Kosovo reportedly killed 40 sheep.

In Turkey, wildfires prompted the evacuation of more than 3,600 people from multiple provinces, with flames threatening the industrial hub of Bursa. The Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned of prolonged danger. “We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days,” he said. Over 2,000 firefighters, assisted by aircraft, continued battling blazes in Bursa and Karabuk, where 19 villages were cleared and over 1,800 residents displaced. Temperatures soared above 40°C (104°F), reaching a record 50°C (122°F) in the southeast.

In Bulgaria, nearly 100 fires raged on Sunday alone, burning homes and forestland across the country. In Simitli, in the southwest, blazes spread toward Maleshevo Mountain, destroying houses before firefighters were temporarily withdrawn due to dangerous winds. The situation intensified when a fire in the Miloslavska mountain range crossed into Serbia, nearly razing the village of Rani Lug. “In all my years of firefighting, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said emergency volunteer Zvezdelin Vlaykov.

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry described the situation as “dynamic and severe.” Fires continued into Sunday evening, with additional damage reported in Kozarevo, in the southeast.

Scientists have long classified the Mediterranean region as a wildfire hotspot, and the ferocity of this summer’s events is sharpening concerns about how traditional firefighting capabilities are holding up under increasingly extreme weather conditions. Emergency services, already stretched thin, are bracing for continued danger as forecasts suggest no immediate relief from the heat.