Wildfires Briefly Shut Dardanelles, Evacuate Thousands Across Mediterranean

Wildfires fueled by extreme heat and strong winds briefly shut the Dardanelles Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint for oil and gas from the Black Sea and Central Asia, before reopening after firefighting efforts. Turkish firefighters have contained the blazes on the north Aegean coast, but towns and pine forests in Canakkale province remain threatened, prompting the evacuation of nearly 2,900 residents. Across Europe, intense heat waves and strong winds have ignited numerous fires, including deadly blazes near Madrid, the Greek islands, the Balkans, and Montenegro, with red heat warnings issued for several countries. Climate change is contributing to the increased frequency and severity of such heat waves and wildfires, exacerbating risks in regions like southwest France and Spain. Authorities across affected countries are deploying evacuation orders and seeking international assistance to contain the fires amid ongoing high fire risk alerts. The widespread fires pose significant environmental, social, and economic challenges for the Mediterranean and European regions.