Türkiye battles wildfires, rural fires across country
Baku, August 17, AZERTAC
Firefighters across Türkiye mobilized to extinguish wildfires and rural fires, some of which reached residential areas on Friday, according to the Daily Sabah.
"Today, a total of 47 fires have broken out across the country, including forest and rural fires. Of these, 30 have been brought under control, while our efforts to contain the remaining 17 are ongoing," said Ibrahim Yumaklı, the country's agriculture and forestry minister.
In addition to forest teams, local municipalities, police, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), and gendarmerie personnel are contributing to the firefighting efforts with their vehicles, the Presidential Communications Directorate said, adding that five firefighting planes, 15 helicopters, and other squads are assisting the firefighting efforts.
In Izmir, evacuations were ordered in several neighborhoods and an animal shelter in the area was also evacuated.
Roads leading to the affected zones were closed, with gendarmerie and police enforcing security measures.
The fire reached the Örnekkoy Industrial Site, spreading to numerous businesses, including a recycling factory, marble, cable, wood processing companies, and furniture workshops.
As the wind subsided in the afternoon, helicopters and planes resumed operations, dropping water intensely on the areas where the flames were most concentrated.
The fire continues to burn in forested areas within the boundaries of Karşıyaka, Bayraklı, and Çiğli districts, affecting both residential areas and the industrial site. Thick smoke is visible from various parts of the province, and some houses and vehicles near the forests have been damaged by the spreading flames.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli set off from the capital Ankara to monitor fire-fighting efforts in the Aegean province of Izmir.
Yumaklı said a fire in the northwestern Çanakkale province was brought under control this morning. He added that a fire in the northwestern Bolu province, which began on Thursday, quickly grew to affect a 30-kilometer (18.64-mile) area due to strong winds.
Efforts to contain the fire in Bolu are ongoing with 11 helicopters, 118 ground vehicles, and 601 personnel, and operations will continue throughout the night, he said.
Noting that three fires broke out in the Aegean Izmir province, Yumaklı highlighted that efforts to contain the fires are continuing.
The wildfire in the Karşıyaka district reached a multi-story condominium complex, prompting evacuations.
The fire, which has been ongoing since over 24 hours, has spread to a ten-story residential building.
A strong wind carried the flames from a nearby forested area to the building. Its rooftop was seen burning on footage shown by state broadcaster TRT.
Firefighters struggled to put out the fire as parts of the roof were seen falling to the ground and damaging some parked cars, TRT said.
No casualties have been reported so far, while the fire damaged houses and 30 stores in Karşıyaka industrial zone, Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said. The exact number of houses burnt was immediately unclear.
Residents were evacuated to safe areas, Tugay added, saying hundreds of firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.
In Çanakkale, the flames reached Canterbury Cemetery, where soldiers from New Zealand are interred.
Images of the site in northwest Türkiye showed soot-blackened gravestones in a scorched garden looking out over the Aegean Sea.
In Manisa Province, a fire was burning for the third day in Gördes, a rural wooded district in Türkiye's northwest. Nearly 80 homes were evacuated and most buildings in the village of Karayakup suffered severe fire damage, the Demirören News Agency reported.
The General Directorate of Forestry warned people not to light fires outside for the next 10 days due to the current weather conditions across western Türkiye, warning of a 70% greater risk of wildfires.
Earlier this week, firefighters in neighboring Greece fought a fire that burned an area almost twice the size of Manhattan. The fire north of Athens gutted scores of homes before it was contained Tuesday. One person was killed.
In June, a fire spread through settlements in southeast Türkiye, killing 11 people and leaving dozens of others requiring medical treatment.
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