Image of the week: Smoke from wildfires in Albania and Greece

Smoke from large fires is visible in Albania where thousands of firefighters, soldiers, police officers and volunteers have been trying to contain many large wildfires, which have caused widespread damage and led to the evacuations of villages in affected areas. 

In Greece, many wildfires are also raging, and firefighters have been battling around the clock to control fires in areas of Achaia (near Patras), Preveza and the islands of Chios and Zakynthos. 

The spread of the wildfires in the region has been exacerbated by recent high temperatures, low humidity and high winds, which have made the fires harder to contain.

Across Europe the 2025 fire season has already been more destructive than usual. According to the European Forest Fires Information System (EFFIS), an area of over 439,500 hectares has been burnt by wildfires so far across the EU since the start of the year, which is double the reported average of 218,400 hectares recorded by this time of year over the past 19 years (2006-2024).