Firefighters battle blazes in Turkey and Albania after days of scorching heat

ATHENS - Firefighters battled to put out wildfires on July 28 in three separate provinces in Turkey and near a tourist resort in Albania, stoked by strong winds after days of searing heat across the Mediterranean region.

Smoke billowed over the mountainous Black Sea province of Karabuk, some 200km north of the capital Ankara, as a wildfire which raged for a sixth day forced the evacuation of more than a dozen villages and burnt swathes of forests.

In the north-western province of Bursa, three firefighters were killed on July 27 when their vehicle crashed, Turkey's Forestry Ministry said on July 28.

Crews fought to tame two separate blazes there on July 28, following the

evacuation of more more than 3,600 people

from settlements in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya.

Turkey has seen dozens of wildfires in recent weeks amid extreme heat, while 10 firefighters were killed last week battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province.

Hot and dry summers have been common in the Mediterranean region, but more intense heatwaves have contributed to destructive wildfires in recent years amid fast-rising temperatures across the globe.

In Albania, firefighters assisted by the army battled to control a wildfire before it reached the seaside city of Saranda and other tourist resorts in the couth of the country on the Ionian coast.

Some 13 people have been arrested over arson-related offenses in the past three days, local police said.

Bulgaria deployed firefighting planes to help ground forces tame a large wildfire in a wooded south-western area, while in Greece, several villages were evacuated and five people were injured in separate

wildfires over the weekend

under scorching heat and strong winds.

As Greece saw off its third summer heatwave on July 28, rainy weather in Serbia helped firefighters there bring more than 100 wildfires under control. REUTERS