Temperature sets record in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 28 (UPI) -- Istanbul has endured more than 300 fires during a three-day heat wave that covered much of Turkey, the Istanbul Fire Department reported Thursday.

The city's temperature hit a 78-year high Wednesday, 42.2 degrees Celsius or almost 108 degrees Fahrenheit, the New Anatolian reported. In Antalya, a resort on the Mediterranean, the high was an even more sweltering 49 degrees Celsius or 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

At least six heat-related deaths were reported Wednesday in Istanbul.

Fire department officials said most of the 317 blazes reported in the city occurred either in wooded or brushy areas or near power transformers strained by the heat. In Antalya, woods and picnic areas were closed because of the fire risk.

Much of the eastern Mediterranean and southwestern Europe have already endured periods of high temperatures this summer. In Greece this week, wildfires have been reported everywhere from the islands to the area around Thessaloniki in the north.