Forest fires rage in western Turkey for a third consecutive day on Saturday, made worse by strong winds and hot temperatures, authorities said.
According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate, more than 130 fires broke out across the country last week. Most have been brought under control, but eight major fires continue to rage in the provinces of Izmir, Aydin, Manisa, Karabuk and Bolu.
Thousands of firefighters were battling the blazes on land and in the air, with dozens of aircraft and hundreds of vehicles taking part in the emergency response.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from the affected areas, but no casualties have been reported, according to Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, who spoke to reporters on Saturday during his tour of the affected provinces.
Yumakli cited low humidity, strong winds and high temperatures as aggravating factors. The General Directorate of Forestry has advised residents not to light fires outdoors for the next 10 days due to the weather conditions in western Turkey, warning that the risk of forest fires is 70 percent higher.
Meanwhile, authorities have arrested four people in Bolu in connection with the fires, two of whom were arrested and two released.
In June, a fire swept through settlements in southeastern Turkey, killing 11 people and requiring medical treatment for dozens more.
In 2021, Tourists in Türkiye rush to the seaside to wait for rescue boats Turkish authorities have been ordered to evacuate some hotels in the Aegean Sea resort of Bodrum due to the dangers posed by nearby wildfires, Turkish media reported. Coast guard units led the operation and authorities called in private boats and yachts to help with evacuation efforts from the sea as more wildfires broke out.
Months later, in August 2021, Thousands of people have fled out-of-control fires in Greece and Türkiye as a prolonged heat wave turned forests into powder kegs and flames threatened populated areas, power lines and historic sites.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the blazes in a televised address, saying the wildfires illustrate “the reality of climate change.”
