Two volunteer firefighters die amid wildfires in Turkey
Another worker died earlier at the scene of the accident and a firefighter died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.
Their deaths raised Turkey's wildfire fatalities to 17 since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Turkey.
Huge fires around Bursa, Turkey's fourth-largest city, broke out over the weekend, leading to more than 3,500 people fleeing their homes.
On Monday morning, fog-like smoke from ongoing fires and smouldering foliage hung over the city.
Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires, with Turkey and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean experiencing record-breaking heatwaves.
The fires around Bursa were among hundreds to have hit Turkey over the past month.
While firefighting teams have contained the damage to a limited number of homes, vast tracts of forest have been turned to ash.
The water tanker crew comprised volunteers from nearby Bolu province heading to the village of Aglasan, north-east of Bursa, to combat a blaze when the vehicle fell into a ditch while negotiating a rough forest track, IHA reported.
Turkey battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday, forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli said late on Sunday.
He identified two fires in Bursa province, as well as blazes in Karabuk, north-west Turkey, and Kahramanmaras in the south, as the most serious.
The government declared disaster areas in two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik.
Prosecutions have been launched against 97 people in 33 of Turkey's 81 provinces in relation to the fires, justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
A crowd of people gathered on Sunday evening outside a police station in the village of Harmancik, 57 kilometres (35 miles) south of Bursa, after learning a suspected arsonist was detained there.
The angry crowd demanded for the suspect to be handed over to them.
The crowd dispersed after police assured them a thorough investigation would be undertaken.
In Albania, firefighters battled at least six separate wildfires on Monday, the Defence Ministry said.
Two weeks of blazes have ravaged thousands of hectares of forest in the Balkan country.
The areas most at risk were in the north east, where inaccessible mountain plateaus had water-dropping aircraft carrying out the bulk of the firefighting.
In the country's southern region, overnight winds ignited blazes in the municipalities of Delvine and Konispol in the Himare district on the Adriatic coast, which suffered wildfires last week.
Authorities said at least a dozen people were arrested over the weekend over the wildfires.
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Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
At least 17 killed in ‘apocalyptic' Turkey wildfires sparked by record 50C heatwave as thousands flee their homes
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The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
At least 17 killed in ‘apocalyptic' Turkey wildfires sparked by record 50C heatwave as thousands flee their homes
AT least 17 people have been killed in apocalyptic wildfires tearing through Turkey as record-breaking 50C heat and howling winds fuel devastation across the eastern Mediterranean. The infernos have forced more than 3,500 residents to flee their homes since late June, with vast swathes of forest reduced to ash. 6 6 Ten rescue volunteers and forestry workers lost their lives in a blaze in Eskisehir last week, while four more died outside Bursa over the weekend. Two volunteer firefighters succumbed to injuries after being pulled from an overturned water tanker. Another worker died at the scene and a firefighter suffered a fatal heart attack on Sunday. Turkey's forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli confirmed that crews battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday alone, declaring the western provinces of Izmir and Bilecik disaster areas. The chaos comes as firefighters across the region struggle to contain a wave of blazes fuelled by a relentless heatwave and bone-dry conditions. Across Turkey alone, firefighters have battled more than 600 blazes in the past week, with over 1,900 emergency responders drafted in to help save trapped residents. With record-breaking temperatures showing no sign of easing, officials fear the death toll could rise as the eastern Mediterranean braces for even more infernos. In Greece, a week-long heatwave peaking at 45C sparked multiple wildfires, forcing mass evacuations near Athens and across the islands of Crete and Evia. A huge blaze scorched a northern suburb of the Greek capital on Saturday, with 115 firefighters and 24 vehicles deployed on Evia, backed by six planes and seven helicopters. Meanwhile, Cyprus is battling what officials have branded its worst wildfires 'for 50 years.' Shock moment beachgoers surrounded by smoke as raging wildfires in Italian hols hotspot With temperatures soaring to 44C, dozens of homes have been destroyed in the Troodos mountains. Brit couple Lucy and Ben Armstrong were among those left homeless. Ben told The Sun: 'We lost everything that day, there's nothing left. 'We had fish tanks in the house and there was absolutely nothing left of what was in the water except melted glass on the floor.' Two people were found dead in a burnt-out car as more than 70 houses were reduced to rubble. Meanwhile, in Sardinia, Italy, tourists were sent running for their lives when flames ripped right down to the beach at Punta Molentis on the island's southeast coast. 6 6 Sunbathers abandoned their towels and spades as thick black smoke engulfed the shoreline. The coast guard evacuated 102 people by sea, while helicopters hovered overhead during the dramatic operation. Some 200 cars and a kiosk were torched as the blaze tore through the Sarrabus area — described by local media as a 'jewel' now reduced to cinders. Footage showed burnt-out vehicles after flames ravaged the parking area, leaving many stranded. Fire crews deployed two Canadair firefighting planes, a helicopter, regional aircraft, and even an Italian Air Force vehicle to contain the inferno as winds fanned the flames. 6
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Turkey faces ‘very risky week' for wildfires
Nearly 100 people face prosecution over the fires in Turkey. Blazes erupted near Bursa, Turkey's fourth-largest city, over the weekend. Charred trees and scorched land following a wildfire that swept through the area in Bursa, Turkey (Sercan Ozkurnazli/DIA Images via AP) A wildfire to the north east of Bursa had been largely extinguished, but one to the south of the city continued, although its intensity had been 'significantly reduced', forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters in Ankara. He also said a fire that has been burning for six days in Karabuk, in north-west Turkey, had 'been reduced in intensity', and a blaze in Karamanmaras in the south had largely been brought under control. A wildfire also erupted on Monday in forests outside the western port city of Izmir, where 11 aircraft were helping ground-based fire units and residents battle the blaze. 'We are in a very risky week,' Mr Yumakli said of the wildfires. In Greece, firefighters raced to tackle a wildfire that broke out on Monday near a university campus close to the centre of Athens. Water-dropping planes and helicopters buzzed over the city centre as they headed to the wildfire near the National Technical University of Athens, located in foothills ringing the Greek capital. A firefighting helicopter drops water to extinguish a fire at the Polytechnic University of Athens as the Greek capital is seen in the background (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP) In all, 11 planes and eight helicopters were reinforcing 110 firefighters on the ground, the fire department said. Police announced road closures in the area, including to the only highway that circles the city. A waning fire on the island of Kythera, which lies south of the Peloponnese, was reinvigorated by strong winds. Over the weekend, the blaze burned through around 10% of the small island's land mass, triggering the evacuation of several villages. A Turkish firefighting team of 22 personnel and five vehicles crossed the northern border on Monday to assist Bulgarian crews fighting a large fire near the village of Lesovo, which was evacuated. The blaze was one of hundreds across Bulgaria, the most severe of which was near the south-western village of Strumyani. The Interior Ministry described the fire as 'extremely large' and 'widespread', leading to 200 firefighters being withdrawn because of the effects of high winds on the fire. Several villages have been extensively damaged, with dozens of homes burned to the ground. Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in Bursa, Turkey (Sercan Ozkurnazli/DIA Images via AP) By Monday, 269 fires had been extinguished in the previous 24 hours, the government said. Other European Union countries have responded to Bulgaria's requests for help, sending firefighting helicopters and planes. In several instances, the causes of fires have been determined to be carelessness by people, such as open fires and discarded cigarettes. Senior Interior Ministry official Miroslav Rashkov said that two people had been arrested for deliberately starting fires and would be prosecuted. Turkey has been fighting severe wildfires since late June. In Bursa, three volunteer firefighters were killed after their water tanker overturned, local news agency IHA reported. One died at the scene and the two others were pulled from the tanker and taken to hospital but died late on Sunday. The volunteer crew from the province of Bolu was on its way to the village of Aglasan, north east of Bursa, to combat a blaze when the vehicle fell into a ditch beside a rough forest track, the agency reported. Firefighters in Bursa, Turkey (Sercan Ozkurnazli/DIA Images via AP) Separately, officials said earlier on Sunday a firefighter died of a heart attack while battling a blaze. The fatalities brought the total deaths over the past month to 17, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in the western city of Eskisehir. The huge blazes around Bursa forced more than 3,500 people to flee their homes. While firefighting teams have contained the damage to a limited number of homes across affected areas in Turkey, vast tracts of forest have been turned to ash. Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires. Turkey and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean are experiencing record-breaking heat waves. The government had earlier declared disaster areas in two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik. Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in Bursa (Sercan Ozkurnazli/DIA Images via AP) Turkey battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday, Mr Yumakli said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that 99 suspects faced prosecution in relation to the wildfires. In Albania, firefighters battled at least six separate wildfires on Monday, the Defence Ministry said. Two weeks of blazes have ravaged thousands of hectares of forest in the Balkan country. The areas most at risk were in the north east, where inaccessible mountain plateaus had water-dropping aircraft carrying out the bulk of the firefighting. In the country's southern region, overnight winds ignited blazes in the municipalities of Delvine and Konispol and in the Himare district on the Adriatic coast, which suffered wildfires last week. Authorities said that at least a dozen people were arrested over the weekend over the wildfires.
