Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, France continue to contain blazes
Wildfires continue to burn across Southern Europe on Monday, as high temperatures persist in some areas while others see relief from the heat wave.
Albania has been battling serious wildfires since Friday, with blazes continuing to spread around the southern town of Himara on Monday, according to broadcaster RTSH.
Firefighters, police, and civil emergency teams have been on the ground for over 60 hours, as flames reignite each time the wind picks up.
Bulgaria’s wildfire situation is improving, though the blaze near the southwestern village of Strumyani remains “extremely large” and “widespread,” Deputy Interior Minister Tony Todorov said, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.
While not reported as threatening, active fires have also been recorded in other regions, including Pernik, Plovdiv, and Yambol.
"Over the past 24 hours, 269 fires have been extinguished. The fire in Strumyani is currently the most severe. The fire could spread south and east towards Pirin Park," Todorov said during a news briefing.
Southern Serbia has also been grappling with wildfires in the past week, while the risk remains still high, according to broadcaster RTS.
In the city of Vranje, where a state of emergency has been declared, the fire situation is reportedly stabilizing as active fires are being extinguished.
A fire also broke out on Sunday evening in the southern French department of Alpes-Maritimes, burning approximately 8,000 square meters (about 2 acres) before being extinguished, according to broadcaster BFM TV.
France's national weather service, Meteo-France, has issued high to very high wildfire risk alerts for Monday along the Mediterranean coast, with five departments on high alert and two on very high alert.
Battling wildfires in several regions on Sunday, Greece is set to brace for cooler weather and rains, although temperatures are still expected to approach 40°C (104°F) across the country, according to local media.
The Spanish meteorological agency Aemet issued orange alerts for certain regions on Monday as temperatures are expected to approach 40°C (104°F).
Finland also marked the 16th consecutive day on Sunday where temperatures have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86°F), according to broadcaster YLE.
In the meantime, the Croatian State Hydrometeorological Institute has issued warnings for heavy rains and storms.
