Image of the week: Wildfires in the eastern Mediterranean

Many wildfires were active this week in Greece and smoke can be seen in the image coming from fires in Halkidiki, Kythera, and Crete, where more than 5000 people had to be evacuated from the Ierapetra area along the island’s southern coast.

Fires have also impacted many areas of neighbouring Türkiye, in particular in the western province of Izmir. Smoke from a large fire in the vicinity of the coastal town of Çeşme can be seen in the image. 

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 196,000 hectares has been burnt by wildfires so far across the EU since the start of the year, which is more than double the reported average of 82,000 hectares recorded by this time of year over the past 19 years (2006-2024).