Turkey was hit by a scorching temperature of 50° Celsius for the first time in recorded history on July 25.

“This is climate change, and it’s accelerating,” was the response from weather site Met4Cast.

“This isn’t just a heatwave, It’s the edge of human survival. In low humidity just 30 minutes of exposure risks heat stroke. Increasing humidity shortens that time,” it added.

The record-shattering temperature was measured at 50.5° Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in Silopi, Sirnak province, near the border with Syria, by the Turkish State Meteorological Service. The highest ever temperature recorded in Europe is the 48.8°  Celsius experienced by Sicily, Italy, in August 2021.

As the Turkish government declared disaster zones in two western provinces ravaged by devastating wildfires fanned by strong winds that have already taken the lives of at least 13 people, the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country faced “a truly great disaster”.

Tens of thousands of Turks were voluntarily working with hoses and buckets alongside firefighters to contain hundreds of fires as evacuations of residents from threatened localities continued.

The Turkish meteorological service said that on July 25 temperatures exceeded 40° Celsius in 31 provinces. Nationwide temperatures were running six to 12 degrees above seasonal averages.

Bianet reported that two conscripts of the Iskenderun Naval Infantry Training Battalion in the southern province of Hatay died from dehydration during basic training, while five others were hospitalised.

The tragedy followed the July 23 announcement that 10 forestry and rescue workers had perished while battling wildfires in Turkey's central Eskisehir province. A change in the direction of the wind left 24 forest workers and volunteer rescue personnel "trapped inside a fire", Turkey's Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.

Ahead of July 23, resident’s of Istanbul, a city of more than 16mn, were advised to stay indoors due to forecast extreme record heat.

New wildfires broke out on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, a top tourist draw for local and foreign visitors during the summer months. Homes were evacuated in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu, DHA reported.

Antalya Governor Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control except for one in Aksu, which was “showing a tendency to grow,” and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat, the Associated Press reported.

“The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centres, among houses,” he was reported as saying. “We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries.”

At 46.1° Celsius, the July temperatures in the city of Antalya were the highest registered for the month since records began in 1930.

If such heatwaves and wildfires become the norm in Turkey in years ahead, the future of the country’s tourism industry, vital to the economy in terms of raising FX revenues, could start to look precarious.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that western province Izmir and northwestern province Bilecik were declared “disaster zones affecting public life”. The classification is one step below the most serious level of “emergency zone”.

In a social media post, he said 311 homes had been destroyed or seriously damaged during the month-long outbreak of wildfires.

Officials said that across the country 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 6,000 ground vehicles were in service fighting the wildfire disaster.