A wildfire in southwest Türkiye has forced authorities to temporarily close a highway linking the tourist destination of Fethiye with the city of Antalya as extreme weather continues to affect several parts of Europe.
The fire broke out in an agricultural area in Muğla province on July 29 before spreading into a nearby forest, driven by strong winds. Authorities deployed five aircraft, 11 helicopters, 40 fire trucks and hundreds of firefighters to contain the blaze. The Muğla governor's office urged motorists to use alternative routes and keep emergency lanes clear, The Guardian reports.
Several wildfires were also reported in Greece, including on the Aegean island of Paros.
In Hungary, the operator of the Paks nuclear power plant said one of the facility's four reactors would be shut down because of record-low water levels in the Danube River, which provides cooling water to the plant. Earlier this week, output at another reactor had already been reduced by 254 megawatts. The plant's four Russian-built reactors have a combined capacity of 2 gigawatts and generate nearly half of Hungary's electricity.
Meanwhile, more than half of England has been officially declared to be in drought following what the UK government described as record-low rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures.
According to the Environment Agency, July is on course to become the driest on record, with only 7% of the country's expected rainfall recorded. Some parts of southern England have received just 1% of normal July rainfall.
Wildfire smoke has also contributed to deteriorating air quality across parts of Europe. Large areas of Spain experienced "very" to "extremely" poor air quality on July 29, according to the European Environment Agency, with a smaller affected area also reported near Bordeaux in France.
Smoke from landscape fires poses a significant long-term health risk. A 2024 study published in The Lancet estimated that approximately 1.5 million people die each year from exposure to smoke generated by such fires.
By Sabina Mammadli
