Photos: Wildfires threaten Turkiye's fourth-largest city
Huge fires around Bursa, Turkiye'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 fires and smouldering foliage hung over the city.
Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires, with Turkiye and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean experiencing record-breaking heatwaves.
The death toll from wildfires outside the city of Bursa in northwest Turkiye rose to four late on Sunday after two volunteer firefighters died.
The pair died in hospital after they were pulled from a water tanker that rolled while heading to a forest fire, news agency IHA reported. Another worker died earlier at the scene of the accident, and a firefighter died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.
Their deaths raised Turkiye's wildfire death toll to 17 since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in the northwestern city of Eskisehir.
The fires around Bursa were among hundreds to have hit the country 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.
Turkiye battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday, said Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli. He identified two fires in Bursa province, as well as blazes in Karabuk in the northwest, 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 Turkiye's 81 provinces in relation to the fires, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Canadian wildfire smoke triggers air quality alerts in US
Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has triggered air quality alerts over the border in the United States. Several blazes continued to rage across Canada on Saturday, sending smoke wafting over several states in the US Midwest and bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day. Air quality alerts were in effect in the US states of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Conditions were especially dire in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir reporting that the US city had some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI), a system used to communicate how much pollution is in the air, is expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota, and will likely remain so through Saturday. 'We've sort of been dealing with this, day in and day out, where you walk outside and you can taste the smoke, you can smell it,' said Joe Strus, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. Forecasters warned that smoky skies would remain across the Midwest for much of Saturday, but could start to dissipate before spreading as far south as Tennessee and Missouri. The poor air quality poses particular risks for people with lung and heart conditions, as well as children, the elderly and pregnant women. This is not the first time that Canadian wildfires have prompted air quality alerts in the US and further afield. In 2023, a record early wildfire season sent smoke across the Atlantic into northern Europe. On Saturday, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported 'out-of-control' blazes in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, as well as in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The centre said that 717 fires were active across the country. Environment Canada also said 'extremely high' levels of air pollution were present in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Northwest Territories, according to a report by The Canadian Press news agency. Areas in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec were also under air-quality watch, though risks to health were reportedly lower. Environment Canada said reduced visibility and poor air quality would persist into Sunday.
Al Jazeera
28-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Wildfires threaten Turkiye's fourth-largest city
Published On 28 Jul 2025 28 Jul 2025 Huge fires around Bursa, Turkiye'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 fires and smouldering foliage hung over the city. Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires, with Turkiye and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean experiencing record-breaking heatwaves. The death toll from wildfires outside the city of Bursa in northwest Turkiye rose to four late on Sunday after two volunteer firefighters died. The pair died in hospital after they were pulled from a water tanker that rolled while heading to a forest fire, news agency IHA reported. Another worker died earlier at the scene of the accident, and a firefighter died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack. Their deaths raised Turkiye's wildfire death toll to 17 since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in the northwestern city of Eskisehir. The fires around Bursa were among hundreds to have hit the country 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. Turkiye battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday, said Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli. He identified two fires in Bursa province, as well as blazes in Karabuk in the northwest, 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 Turkiye's 81 provinces in relation to the fires, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
Qatar Tribune
27-07-2025
- Qatar Tribune
Turkey battles two major forest fires as temperatures soar
Izmir A second major forest fire broke out in Turkey on Saturday evening, spreading quickly due to dry conditions and strong winds. The flames neared residential areas in the western province of Bursa, where around 1,300 people were brought to safety, according to Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. He said an animal shelter had also been evacuated. Authorities said 500 rescue workers were on the ground. Helicopters and planes fought the flames from the air, but were grounded at nightfall because the operation was too dangerous. The Istanbul fire department said it had sent seven fire engines to help fight the blaze. Firefighters have been battling another large fire in the north-western province of Karabük for the last four days. According to official reports, 14 villages have been evacuated. While the cause of the fires remains unclear, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli noted that the country has experienced intense heat and drought in recent days, with temperatures rising above 50 degrees Celsius in south-eastern Turkey on Friday. He advised the population to exercise extra caution as a result. Heat alone does not cause forest fires, but high temperatures, dryness, low humidity and wind can increase the risk of forest fires.
