Massive wildfires were scorching several regions of western coastal Turkey on Sunday evening, fueled by near-gale force winds. According to reports, thousands of firefighters have been dispatched to fight the blazes, with the coastal port city of Izmir surrounded by the flames and smoke.

Smoke and the smell of burned wood, in fact, extended west as far as the Dodecanese Island of Patmos, and was also very visible before dusk on many of Greece’s eastern Aegean islands.

According to media reports, Patmos was blanketed by smoke in the afternoon, with the atmosphere described as of poor quality.

Greek civil defense and fire brigade officials, meanwhile, were on high alert throughout the country due to high temperatures, arid conditions and gusty winds – an ideal “mix” for destructive wildfires.