Forest fires raged across western Turkey for the third day in a row on Saturday, exacerbated by high winds and warm temperatures, authorities said.
More than 130 fires have broken out across the country in the past week, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate. Most have come under control, but eight large fires continued in the provinces of Izmir, Aydin, Manisa, Karabuk and Bolu.
Thousands of firefighters tackled the blazes on land and from the air, with dozens of aircraft and hundreds of vehicles assisting in the emergency.
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 while touring the affected provinces.
Yumakli cited low humidity, high winds and high temperatures as aggravating factors. The General Directorate of Forestry warned people not to light outdoor fires for the next 10 days due to weather conditions in western Turkey, warning of a 70% higher risk of forest fires.
Meanwhile, authorities arrested four people in Bolu in connection with the fires, two of whom were arrested and two released.
In June, a fire spread through settlements in southeastern Turkey, killing 11 people and leaving dozens of others requiring medical treatment.
Year 2021, tourists in Turkey rushed to the beach to wait for rescue boats after being told to evacuate some hotels in the Aegean resort of Bodrum because of the dangers of nearby forest fires, Turkish media reported. Coast Guard units led the operation and authorities asked private boats and yachts to help with evacuation efforts from the sea as new wildfires broke out.
Months later, in August 2021, thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece and Turkey as a prolonged heat wave turned forests into tinderboxes and flames threatened populated areas, electrical installations and historic sites.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the flames in a televised speech, saying the wildfires show “the reality of climate change”.