Wildfires: Full list of affected areas including Greece, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal

Over 10 countries have been affected by deadly wildfires as a fatal heatwave pushed temperatures to record levels impacting both holidaymakers and local people.

Several Spanish hotspots have been hit with ‘extreme’ and ‘high’ risk wildfire alerts after weeks of hot weather with some areas seeing highs above 40C.

Firefighters told the Majorca Daily Bulletin that the region’s wooded areas had become a “tinder box” due to the scorching weather, before adding that they are well equipped for any blazes that break out.

Evacuations have taken place near Lisbon, in Gran Canaria, Rhodes and Corfu with the Greek prime minister warning on Tuesday (25 July) that tough days are ahead.

The Greek Fire Brigade has already been battling more than 500 fires for almost two weeks as temperatures exceeded 44C in some areas. Over 20,000 people were forced to flee their homes and hotels over the weekend in Rhodes.

Meanwhile, in North Africa, at least 34 people have been killed in Algeria, with fires burning in a total of 15 provinces and 1,500 people evacuated from their homes.

Strong winds have also resulted in fires spreading to neighbouring Tunisia.

The Met Office told NationalWorld that the scorching temperatures “will ease” this weekend with a “return” of more average temperatures.

The forecaster said more average temperatures are “likely” to return on Thursday (27 July) and Friday (28 July) for most.

Which countries have been affected by wildfires?

Spain

Gran Canaria has experienced fierce wildfires which have spread rapidly across the mountainous Tejeda area. More than 500 acres of land have been destroyed by the inferno, according to Canarian Weekly.

On Saturday 15 July around 500 people had to be evacuated from the Canary Island of La Palma.

A forest fire red alert was issued in Majorca by the Palma Met Office on Tuesday (25 July) due to the heat, and Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET has issued an “extreme” red alert for the island, which is home to the popular resorts of Magaluf, Palma Nova and Santa Ponsa.

AEMET put the southern and eastern tip of Majorca at “extreme” risk of wildfires, while Ibiza and Menorca were both placed on “high alert”.

Greece

Evacuations were on the Greek islands of Corfu, Evia and Rhodes with thousands of tourists moved to safety over the weekend.

British holidaymakers were among those to be evacuated from their accommodation, with many taking refuge on the floors of schools, sports centres and community buildings.

Greece’s heatwave saw temperatures reach above 40C and strong winds helped forest to spread the hilly inland terrain towards more populated coastal areas.

Italy

Firefighters have been battling wildfires across southern Italy as soaring temperatures hit Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria with multiple evacuations ordered.

Palermo Airport in Italy announced it was limiting the number of departing flights on Monday night (24 July) as fires burned around its perimeter.

The airport has since announced in an update on Twitter that it has reopened, but warned that operations will be limited as weather conditions are monitored.

The incident came a week after Sicily’s main airport of Catania - Italy’s fifth largest - was closed due to a fire in its Terminal A building. The damage caused by the blaze meant urgent repair work needed to be carried out, causing disruption to flights. The airport has since reopened but flights to and from the airport are likely to be affected over the coming weeks.

Portugal

On Tuesday (25 July) a blaze swept across a national park near the popular tourist town of Cascais, 30 kilometres west of Lisbon.

More than 500 firefighters scrambled to fight a blaze and it was brought under control by early Wednesday (26 July), helped by cooler temperatures. Firefighters are still on standby to watch for any further flare-ups.

Croatia

A wildfire broke out in the hills surrounding Dubrovnik on Tuesday (25 July) with more than 100 firefighters working to hold back the blaze.

Local media reported that the fires triggered landmines that are still scattered around the outskirts of the capital from Croatia’s 1990s war of independence.

An alert was issued last week due to extreme weather conditions in the country, with storms earlier in the month causing trees to topple, roofs to blow off buildings and tens of thousands of people left without power.

France

Several wildfires broke out along the Mediterranean coast of France on Tuesday (25 July).

Fire crews have fought scattered fires, including one near Arles, in Provence, and nearly 100 firefighters were deployed to a blaze close to Nice airport.

Authorities have banned access to several forested areas along the French Riviera and in Corsica.

Switzerland

On Tuesday 18 July a forest fire erupted over the Alpine village of Bitsch, near the Italian border.

More than 200 people were evacuated and the blaze spread to 247 acres of woodland, with it still not fully put out over the weekend.

Algeria

Northern Algeria saw wildfires rage through its forests, mountain villages and towns leaving at least 34 people dead.

Algerian news site TSA quoted the National Meteorological Office as saying temperatures that soared to around 50C in some regions were expected to drop from Tuesday (25 July).

Turkey

A hospital and a dozen homes were evacuated as a precaution in the coastal town of Kemer where firefighters battled a blaze raging through a woodland for a third day.

At least 10 planes, 22 helicopters and hundreds of firefighters were deployed to extinguish the fire.

Tunisia

Wildfires swept across the region of Algeria spread to the forests of Tabarka, Jendouba, Beja, Bizerte and Siliana.

On Wednesday (26 July) the Tunisian Interior Minister said Tunisian firefighters have completely contained the fires that broke out in a number of regions of the country, with the help of members of the Algerian army and firefighting planes from Spain.

Canada

Almost 29 million acres of land in Canada have been scorched by wildfires so far this year with thick plumes of smoke drifting into the northern US and affecting air quality.

Canadian officials have warned that this could be the country’s worst wildfire season on record and smoke would be a problem “all summer”.