A photo of a young boy watching a firefighting plane tackle forest fires has gone viral in Turkey, and come to symbolise the destruction brought near-unprecedented blazes.
Ukrainian photographer Mishka Bochkaryov took the photo this week in Antalya, showing a boy preparing to go for a swim, against the backdrop of a dark red sky, obscured by thick smoke.
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Turkey has experienced its worst wildfires in decades this week, with at least eight people killed and tens of thousands evacuated.
“I came to Turkey on a date with my girlfriend from Russia because due to the political situation we cannot visit each other in our countries,” Bochkaryov told VICE World News.
“I was in the room when I saw the smoke a little later planes and helicopters began to fly. I went to the beach with a camera but it was very hot around 37 degrees celsius and I returned to my room after 15 minutes.”
The photograph has been shared widely by Turkish social media users, shocked by the spread of the unprecedented wildfires.
Greece, Italy and Bosnia have also been affected by wildfires over the last week as temperatures reached highs of up to 43 degrees celsius.
While it is difficult to tie individual weather patterns or natural disasters to the climate crisis, scientists say extreme weather events such as wildfires will increase in number and intensity due to global warming.
