Wildfires Rage in Western Turkey

Turkey is facing a high-risk wildfire season, with numerous blazes erupting across the country in recent days.

In Çeşme, fires that began around noon in the Ildır area quickly spread due to strong winds. İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban stated that initial assessments indicate the fire likely originated from an electrical line. “Technical teams and eyewitnesses reported that the blaze began along a power line,” Elban noted.

Due to the advancing flames, Çeşme’s Ilıca and Germiyan neighborhoods, as well as the Nohutalan neighborhood in nearby Urla, were evacuated as a precaution. The İzmir-Çeşme highway was also closed to traffic after flames reached the roadside.

Firefighting efforts were temporarily halted from air and nightfall, continuing solely from the ground until aerial operations resumed at first light.  

The General Directorate of Forestry highlighted the difficult conditions on social media, stating, “In İzmir, we are battling not only fire but winds reaching up to 60 kilometers per hour.”

İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay described the fire in Çeşme as “a large-scale wildfire, fueled by strong winds, posing a threat to residential areas.”

Çeşme Mayor Lal Denizli announced that firefighting efforts in the district, involving the General Directorate of Forestry, İzmir and Ankara fire departments, Çeşme municipal teams, İzmir Water and Sewerage Administration (İZSU), local gendarmerie and volunteer rescue units, are ongoing to combat the uncontrolled wildfires.

Meanwhile, a separate wildfire in the Tosunlar neighborhood of Ödemiş’s Manastır area also spread rapidly due to the wind. Residents of Tosunlar and Suçıktı neighborhoods were evacuated, and several homes are reported to have suffered damage.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced that wildfires in İzmir’s Seferihisar and Menderes, Manisa’s Akhisar, Kula and Saruhanlı districts and Bilecik’s Vezirhan have been brought under control.

He also said that significant progress had also been made in extinguishing fires in the southern city of Hatay’s Antakya and the western city of Manisa’s Ahmetli districts, with cooling efforts ongoing.

Source: HDN