A Bulgarian arson suspect has been caught starting a blaze on CCTV as devastating wildfires continue to hit the country, including in neighbouring Turkey, Greece and other Eastern European countries.
Firefighters have been battling 160 wildfires across the Black Sea nation, with about 90 per cent of blazes being caused by human error and negligence, according to Miroslav Rashkov, head of the interior ministry.
Footage showed a man appearing to set fire to patches of grass next to a pavement, with flames spreading rapidly as he walks away.
Authorities have since detained a 33-year-old and charged him with terrorism.
REUTERS
|The suspect can be seen with a lighter
Several other suspects have also been arrested for arson.
At least 14 have been killed in Turkey, as wildfires continue to rage across Eastern Europe.
Temperatures are expected to continue at significantly high levels, with 45C to 50C heat expected to continue in the south-east of Turkey.
Wildfires are becoming increasingly common across Europe as temperatures increase and rainfall decreases, leading them to spread rapidly.
REUTERS
|Later in the footage, the suspect can be seen batting down the fire as it rages
Local resident Asmin Gezginci told AFP: "We are burning up - we don't even know where to go anymore," as she returned from a park to her home.
Over 3,6000 people have been evacuated around Bursa, while 19 villages were forced to be evacuated in the Safranbolu region.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said more than 3,000 fires had broken out since the beginning of the summer.
Erdogan said that 96 per cent of the fires were caused by human activity such as cigraette burns or picnic fires.
REUTERS
|Firefighters have been battling wildfires across Europe
Erdogan said: "Let us not forget that this is a war, a defence of our green homeland, against this insidious enemy."
In other parts of Europe, 140 tourists were forced to flee by boat from a beach in the south of Sardinia in Italy.
More than 900 firefighters, assisted by the army, tried to control a wildfire in Sarande, Albania, with more than 13 people being arrested for arson-related offences.
Greece is struggling to control its wildfires, as firefighters from Czechia join efforts to help control the fierce flames.