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01:19
On Wednesday night, Sadik Akin slept out in the open air in southwest Turkey after fleeing the wildfires that have devastated large parts of the country.
He was one of the workers at the Kemerkoy coal-fired power plant, which was almost destroyed by wildfires that reached its edge.
"When we were going back to camp, we saw the fire was nearing the power plant. So we grabbed our bags in a panic and returned," the 28-year-old said.
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The plant hasn't been damaged, but the area around it, the province of Mugla, is one of the worst hit by the fires. The fires have burned through around 135,907 acres, and 36,000 people had to evacuate.
Since last Wednesday, more than 167 fires have burned through the country, and 12 are still active. The fires have injured hundreds of people and killed eight more.
The fires are the worst ever reported in the country and have been attributed to climate change and a heatwave that has taken temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.
A group of people are evacuated by a coastguard boat after fires threatened the nearby power plant. /Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his government were also criticized by opposition parties for depleting the country's firefighting resources before the wildfires began and having to now rely on foreign aid to combat the flames.
As the temperatures remain high, fires will likely continue to plague the Mediterranean region. Greece is also fighting its own fires, and authorities had to partially evacuate an island off Athens, the country's capital.
Video editor: Pedro Duarte.
Source(s): Reuters
