An official in Turkey says the country faces a “very risky week” for wildfires as blazes across parts of southeast Europe and the Balkans damaged homes and led to a huge firefighting operation that included evacuations.

Wildfires are currently raging in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria amid a 44°C heatwave, ongoing droughts and strong winds. A map from Nasa shows how flames have spread across the region in the last week despite efforts to contain them. What has become clear is that climate change is accelerating the disaster in a region already on the brink.

More than 3,500 people have been forced to leave their homes. Temperatures above 40°C – and as high as 50°C – are expected in parts of the country