Istanbul — Turkey faced a “very risky week” for wildfires, an official said Monday, as blazes across parts of southeast Europe and the Balkans damaged homes and led to a huge firefighting operation that included evacuations. Nearly 100 people face prosecution over the fires in Turkey.

Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks spread rapidly overnight, threatening Bursa and forcing 3,500 to flee. Greece and Bulgaria are also contending with fires.

Firefighters battled blazes across Turkey on Monday as the country sweltered in a summer heatwave across much of the Mediterranean, with wildfires leading to at least 14 deaths in the country in the past week.

The Presidential Communications Directorate said that 84 wildfires broke out simultaneously across Turkey on July 26.

Deadly wildfires engulfing parts of Turkey and Greece have forced thousands to evacuate, as much of the Mediterranean and Europe face what meteorologists are describing as an "exceptional," enduring heat wave.