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6h ago

Evacuation Orders Expand as Heat-Driven Wildfires Rage in Greece, Turkey and Syria

Record summer temperatures have fueled relentless blazes leading to cross-border aerial support, forcing widespread evacuations.

Emergency responders with the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, work to extinguish a wildfire in the town of Rabia, in the Latakia countryside, Syria, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Smoke billowing from a forest fire in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia on Saturday.
Syrian firefighters battle wildfires sweeping through the forests of Latakia, Syria, on Saturday.
Smoke rises into the sky during a wildfire in the town of Rabia, Syria, in the Latakia countryside, on Saturday.

Overview

  • A wildfire that broke out on July 4 continues to burn on Evia, prompting the evacuation of Tsakeoi and Limnionas as over 160 firefighters and five aircraft work to contain the flames.
  • Turkey has brought the Odemis fire in Izmir under control but confirmed three deaths after a forestry worker’s fatal injuries and detained 44 suspects linked to dozens of recent blazes.
  • In Hatay’s Dortyol district strong winds have driven a separate fire that forced the precautionary evacuation of about 920 homes.
  • Syrian teams are battling a fourth day of wildfires in Latakia’s Turkmen Mountains after roughly 100 square kilometres of forest turned to ash, with Jordanian crews and UN assessment missions joining the response.
  • Authorities from Greece to Syria are reinforcing efforts with aircraft and ground units dispatched across borders as experts warn that drought, gale-force winds and soaring heat are intensifying regional wildfire risks.