Top News

Raging forest blazes, stoked by a combination of soaring temperatures and gusty conditions, have left Turkishholiday retreats and villages in smouldering ruin.

Right now, a sweltering 'heat dome' is sitting across swathes of Europe including France, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey, with forecasts from European meteorologists warning that more roasting days are on the horizon.

"Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal," declared U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres via Twitter from Seville, Spain, where the mercury was projected to soar to a blistering 42 Celsius by Monday afternoon.

Echoing his oft-repeated plea for dramatic measures to curb climate change, Guterres proclaimed: "The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous — no country is immune."

Have you been impacted by the fires? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

READ MORE: European wildfire hell - all the holiday heat dome hotspots battling infernos

In Turkey, forest fires whipped up by robust winds have wreaked havoc in İzmir's Doğanbey area, damaging holiday homes and leading to the temporary shutdown of İzmir airport, according to Anadolu Agency. As a precautionary measure, four villages were evacuated on the advice of the Forestry Ministry.

If you have a holiday booked to Turkey, or are there at the moment, this is what you need to know:

Where in the country has been impacted by the fires?

The worst of the fires are currently around the city of İzmir, which sits on the far western coast of Turkey. A total of eight of İzmir's districts, including Seferihisar, Menderes, Gaziemir, Buca, Torbalı, Tire, Aliağa, Kınık, and Bergama, were affected by 195 fires yesterday. Many houses and vehicles have been destroyed.

İzmir Mayor Tugay has confirmed that 20 houses have been destroyed. The fire reportedly reached residences in the Gaziemir and Menderes areas of İzmir, with efforts underway to extinguish the flames, while ten neighborhoods have been evacuated due to the wildfire in Menderes and Seferihisar districts of İzmir.

Fourteen helicopters and four planes have been deployed to extinguish the ongoing wildfire in Menderes and Seferihisar areas of İzmir.

Further inland, villages in Bilecik have been reduced to ash, Sol reported. Şaban Açıkgöz, a 58-year-old who lives in the village, told the publication: "During the fire, the wind turned to the opposite direction. Everything except the three houses at the entrance and the school burned. The village mosque, including its lodgings, burned down; only its minaret remained."

The western and southwestern coasts of Turkey are where the majority of holiday resorts frequented by Brits are situated. Temperatures are very hot and conditions very dry in those regions at the moment, so the chance of more wildfires across this region is high.

READ MORE: Turkey airport grounds ALL flights as out of control wildfire traps tourists

READ MORE: UK Foreign Office's travel warnings for Spain, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus

Are flights currently operating?

On Sunday, no flights could land at or take off from Adnan Menderes Airport, which serves the coastal city of İzmir, for several hours. The airport's departure board showed all flights due to leave yesterday evening were either suspended or cancelled. They included a SunExpress Airlines flight that was due to depart from London Stansted at 7:20 pm local time (5:20 pm BST), as well as flights to Istanbul, Copenhagen in Denmark, Cologne in Germany, and Sofia in Bulgaria. Just before 10 pm local time, flights slowly began resuming.

Hundreds of holidaymakers have been stranded as a result.

So far today, there are no delays listed on the airport's departures or arrivals boards. Istanbul Airport to the north and Bodrum Airport to the south are similarly unaffected.

If you are concerned about your flight, make sure to check with your airline for the latest advice.

What are my rights?

If you were on holiday in Turkey but it had to be cut short due to the fires, then you should receive some money back.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said travellers will likely be offered compensation, especially if they booked a package deal through a tour operator, thanks to the Package Travel Regulations 2018.

"If it was cut short, the holiday company will have to offer you another break to complete those days or a partial refund — once you get back to the UK get in touch and see what your options are, but bear in mind they will be overwhelmed so it's worth giving them a week or two before contacting them," he said.

If your holiday is cut short or cancelled due to the wildfires and you had trip disruption or natural disaster cover, you should be covered, while if you're injured because of them your travel insurance will cover you in the usual way, explained Louise Clark of the Association of British Insurers.

However, it is more complex if you are due to travel and cancel yourself.

"It is always worth looking at your travel insurance policy to see if you are covered, but cover will vary a great deal from policy to policy and truth be told, unless the Foreign Office advises against travel, there won't be a great deal of policies that will help. It will be seen as disinclination to travel, which is usually not covered and is an expensive add-on if it is," said Mr Boland.

The UK's Foreign Office offers the following advice: "Wildfires happen frequently in Turkey during summer.

"You could get a fine or prison sentence for lighting a fire of any kind or discarding cigarettes in risk areas such as woodland. Look out for signs that tell you fires, barbecues, and smoking are prohibited. If there is a wildfire in your area, local authorities may tell you to leave your accommodation. Follow the directions of local authorities. If you see a wildfire, call emergency services on 112."

---