The heatwave and massive fires in south-east Europe are straining national authorities and European response mechanisms.

Turkey has been battling multiple wildfires across the country, with particularly intense blazes in the northwest prompting village evacuations and a renewed firefighting push amid strong winds

More than 1,700 people have been evacuated and the main highway has been closed. The fire is threatening homes, quarries, and industrial facilities.

Relentless forest fires continue to wreak havoc across Turkey, with the latest casualty reported from northwestern Bursa province, where a firefighter tragically lost his life while battling the fast-spreading blaze.

The two died in hospital after they were pulled from a water tanker that rolled while heading to a forest fire in the north west, a news agency said.

In Turkey, three volunteer firefighters were killed when their vehicle overturned near Bursa, and at least 17 people have died in fires since late June. View on euronews

Firefighters battled to put out wildfires on Monday 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.

Greece and Turkey continue to battle major wildfires amid a severe heatwave. Temperatures reached 42.4C in central Greece at the weekend, with emergency services battling fires in the Peloponnese area of Athens and on the popular tourist islands of Kytheria and Crete.