Summer holiday warning: 'Higher than normal' risk of wildfires this summer in Spain, Italy, southern France, Greece and Turkey

Professor Stefan Doerr, Director Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, told NationalWorld that over the next two months “we can expect above average temperatures and somewhat below average rainfall across much of the Mediterranean region”. He said that this means there will be “a higher than normal wildfire risk in these regions”.

He added: “Whether this translates into actual fires is impossible to say as the ignitions are mostly human caused. Windy periods exacerbate the risk, but these are also difficult to forecast with any certainty. So in an nutshell, if the holiday destination is around the Mediterranean the risk of being affected by a fire is clearly present and higher than normal.”

Professor Nigel Arnell, from the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, warned that we can expect the danger of wildfires to “continue to be high”. He told NationalWorld that in his view wildfires should be “taken much more seriously.”

He said: “It might affect the attractiveness of destinations – but it should definitely affect how tour operators and local authorities prepare for risks. Do they have contingency plans? Are they taking measures to try to reduce risks in vulnerable areas?”.

The warning from experts comes as Greece is being rocked by raging wildfires. Numerous wildfires started at the weekend in Greece due to the hot, windy weather affecting most of the country. Hundreds of tourists and locals were evacuated on the Greek island of Kos on Monday night (July 1) as firefighters battled a large wildfire.

As the wildfire reached the seaside village of Kardamaina overnight, people took refuge in a sports centre and other venues, Christos Efstratiou, deputy governor for the Dodecanese islands, told Reuters. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “It is a summer which is expected to be particularly dangerous [for wildfires]... the most difficult times are still ahead of us.

The UK’s Foreign Office warns that there is a high risk of wildfires between April and October in Greece, and wildfires can be highly dangerous and unpredictable. It adds that the situation can change quickly.