Wildfires in southern Turkey forced more people to flee their homes on Sunday as pressure on the government grew over its response to the deadly forest fires.

Turkey has suffered the worst fires in at least a decade, official data show, with nearly 95,000 hectares (235,000 acres) burned so far this year, compared with an average of 13,516 at this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

Since the fires broke out Wednesday, six people have died and more than 330 have received medical treatment.

A neighbourhood in the tourist city of Bodrum was evacuated, CNN Turk broadcaster reported, as flames were fanned by strong winds from Milas district nearby.

Unable to leave by road, 540 residents were taken to hotels by boats, the channel said.

There were more evacuations in the village of Sirtkoy in Antalya province, NTV broadcaster reported, with images of grey smoke clouds enveloping homes.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said 107 of 112 forest fires were now under control, but blazes continued in the holiday regions of Antalya and Mugla.

Temperatures are set to remain high in the region after record levels last month.

The general directorate of meteorology registered a temperature of 49.1 degrees Celsius (120.3 Fahrenheit) on July 20 in the southeastern town of Cizre.

The mercury is expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Antalya Monday.

Turkey's defence ministry released satellite images showing the extent of the damage with forest areas turned black and smoke still visible.

The opposition attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Saturday after a video showed the leader throwing tea to residents in fire-affected areas.

In another video, he is throwing tea to people on the side of the road from a bus.

"Tea! It's unbelievable. Those who lose their shame, lose their heart too," main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) spokesman Faik Oztrak tweeted.

The government has also been criticised over the lack of firefighting planes, with Turkey forced to accept help from Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.

Experts warn climate change will wreak further damage in Turkey, causing more wildfires if necessary measures to tackle the problem are not taken.

According to European Union figures, Turkey has been hit by 133 wildfires in 2021 so far compared to an average of 43 by this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

Dozen homes destroyed, five hospitalised in Greece forest fire
Athens (AFP) July 31, 2021 - Around a dozen homes were destroyed and five people were hospitalised with breathing problems Saturday in a forest fire near Patras, Greece's third largest city, authorities said.

Some 145 firefighters, 50 trucks, eight firefighting planes and helicopters have been mobilised to extinguish the fire in the Zeria region in the Peloponnese, about 210 kilometres (130 miles) west of Athens, the firefighting service said.

The authorities evacuated people from five villages in the region as well as from the tourist resort of Loggos on the coast.

Around a dozen homes burned and five people experiencing breathing problems were transported to hospitals in the region, the civil protection authority said.

A motorway in the region was shut down as was the Rio-Antirrio bridge across the Gulf of Corinth connecting the Peloponnese and mainland Greece, the ANA news agency reported, but traffic resumed on Saturday evening.

Hospitals in Patras and the neighbouring city of Aigio had been put on notice to admit any injured people, while the coastguard have been on standby to rescue any swimmers overcome by smoke.

According to the civil protection agency, 56 forest fires had broken out over the past 24 hours, although most were quickly brought under control.

Greece is hit by forest fires every summer, but experts have warned that global warming increases both their frequency and intensity.

The country has been in the grip of another heat wave since Friday, with temperatures hovering between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit), weather forecasters say.

Several days ago, a fire ravaged Mount Penteli, close to the capital Athens, but caused no casualties.

It was the same area where a fire in July 2018 went on to claim 102 lives in Greece's worst-ever toll from a forest inferno.

Related Links
Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology

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Forest fire near Turkish resort kills 3; Lebanon fire kills teenager
Ankara (AFP) July 29, 2021
Three people were reported dead Thursday and more than 100 injured as firefighters battled blazes engulfing a Mediterranean resort region on Turkey's southern coast. Officials also launched an investigation into suspicions that the fires that broke out Wednesday in four locations to the east of the tourist hotspot Antalya were the result of arson. Turkey's disaster and emergencies office said three people were killed - including an 82-year-old who lived alone - and 122 injured by the fires. ... read more