At least 17 killed in Turkey wildfires as thousands flee their homes

Wildfires in several Turkish regions have claimed at least 17 lives in the past month, as record-breaking heatwaves and strong winds fuel devastating blazes across the eastern Mediterranean.

The number of fatalities in fires outside the country's fourth-largest city, Bursa, rose to four on Monday, as two volunteer firefighters died in hospital after being pulled from a water tanker that had overturned on the way to a forest fire. Another worker had died at the scene earlier, and a firefighter suffered a fatal heart attack on Sunday.

More than 3,500 residents in the area were forced to flee their homes over the weekend. The latest fatalities bring Turkey's wildfire-related number of dead to 17 since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers who lost their lives in a fire last Wednesday in Eskisehir, western Turkey.

Although several fires have been partially contained, vast areas of forest have been destroyed by the flames. Turkey's forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Sunday that the country had battled at least 44 separate fires that day.

Two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, have been declared disaster areas. Read more:Firefighters tackle blazes in Greece, Turkey and AlbaniaTurkey faces 'truly great disaster' Legal action has been brought against 97 individuals across 33 of Turkey's 81 provinces in connection with the fires, according to the country's justice minister, Yilmaz Tunc.

Tensions rose on Sunday evening near a police station in the village of Harmancik, 57km (35 miles) south of Bursa, after people learned that a suspected arsonist had been detained there. The angry crowd demanded the suspect be handed over but eventually dispersed after police assured them that there would be a thorough investigation.

Over the weekend, wildfires also swept through Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, and Greece. In villages near Athens, explosions were heard as the fires spread to factories storing flammable materials, according to Reuters..