Turkey is bracing for a “very risky week” of wildfires, with blazes scorching southeast Europe and the Balkans, destroying homes and prompting mass evacuations, officials reported Monday. Turkish Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said 44 fires burned across the country Sunday, with 269 extinguished in the past 24 hours. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that 99 suspects face prosecution for allegedly starting the fires.

In Bursa, Turkey’s fourth-largest city, a northeastern wildfire was largely contained, but a southern blaze persists, though its intensity has decreased. Fires in Karabuk and Karamanmaras are also under control, Yumakli told reporters in Ankara. A new blaze erupted Monday near Izmir, where 11 aircraft aided ground crews. Tragically, three volunteer firefighters died in Bursa when their water tanker overturned, and another succumbed to a heart attack, bringing the month’s death toll to 17, including 10 volunteers killed in Eskisehir.

In Greece, a wildfire near the National Technical University in Athens triggered road closures and deployed 11 planes, eight helicopters, and 110 firefighters. On Kythera, strong winds reignited a fire that burned 10% of the island, forcing village evacuations. Albania reported six wildfires, with thousands of hectares devastated in the northeast and southern regions like Delvine and Konispol. At least 12 people were arrested for suspected arson.

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Bulgaria faced hundreds of fires, with a massive blaze near Strumyani forcing 200 firefighters to retreat due to high winds. Turkish teams assisted near Lesovo, as EU countries sent helicopters and planes. Carelessness, like discarded cigarettes, caused many fires, with two arrests for deliberate arson, said Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry official Miroslav Rashkov.

Record-breaking heat and dry conditions are fueling the crisis across the eastern Mediterranean, with Turkey declaring disaster zones in Izmir and Bilecik. Over 3,500 people have fled their homes, and vast forests have been reduced to ash.

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