Izmir, villages in Turkiye affected by wildfires now under control
Worker Ragip Sahin 'who was injured while fighting the fire in Odemis and was being treated in hospital, has died', Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Saturday in a post on X. Yumakli also said the blaze in Odemis had been brought under control by Friday evening alongside six other wildfires, mostly in western and central Turkiye.
He added that firefighters were still trying to control a blaze in the southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province.
Turkiye was mostly spared the recent searing heatwaves that engulfed the rest of southern Europe, but firefighters have battled more than 600 fires since June 26 in the drought-hit nation, which have been prompted by high winds.
The fire in Odemis, about 100km (60 miles) east of the resort city of Izmir, had on Thursday killed a bedridden 81-year-old man and a backhoe operator who died while helping firefighting efforts.
In a video on X, Odemis Mayor Mustafa Turan said the fire had ravaged about 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of land. 'The fire came violently to this area, there is nothing left to burn. About 5,000 hectares was reduced to ashes,' said Turan.
On Monday, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people to escape a string of fires.
'According to the authorities, the fires that lasted for four days started in Tusurman village … you can still see smoke coming out from this evacuated village,' said Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Odemis.
'Nothing is left in this village, no one is living here and there is nothing left to reside in. After the fires erupted due to electrical cables in this village, it quickly spread to the nearby villages on this side and then to other villages. Just on the first night [of the wildfires], authorities had to evacuate five villages,' she added.
'For citizens of Turkiye living in the valleys and forests, life is becoming more difficult every year as climate change brings more wildfires. And this year, wildfires came earlier than expected to Turkiye,' said Koseoglu.
Turkiye sends help to Syria
In the meantime, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday.
Turkiye also sent two firefighting aircraft on Saturday to help neighbouring Syria battle wildfires in its northwest Latakia region.
Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to Raed al-Saleh, the Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management.
Turkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects have been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 96 wildfires in Turkiye this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land.
Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkiye to take measures to tackle the problem.
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Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Izmir, villages in Turkiye affected by wildfires now under control
A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir has died from his injuries, raising the death toll in recent days from the fires to three, as the blaze in villages of the Odemis district was brought under control but emergency crews continued to battle one in a province bordering Syria. Worker Ragip Sahin 'who was injured while fighting the fire in Odemis and was being treated in hospital, has died', Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Saturday in a post on X. Yumakli also said the blaze in Odemis had been brought under control by Friday evening alongside six other wildfires, mostly in western and central Turkiye. He added that firefighters were still trying to control a blaze in the southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province. Turkiye was mostly spared the recent searing heatwaves that engulfed the rest of southern Europe, but firefighters have battled more than 600 fires since June 26 in the drought-hit nation, which have been prompted by high winds. The fire in Odemis, about 100km (60 miles) east of the resort city of Izmir, had on Thursday killed a bedridden 81-year-old man and a backhoe operator who died while helping firefighting efforts. In a video on X, Odemis Mayor Mustafa Turan said the fire had ravaged about 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of land. 'The fire came violently to this area, there is nothing left to burn. About 5,000 hectares was reduced to ashes,' said Turan. On Monday, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people to escape a string of fires. 'According to the authorities, the fires that lasted for four days started in Tusurman village … you can still see smoke coming out from this evacuated village,' said Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Odemis. 'Nothing is left in this village, no one is living here and there is nothing left to reside in. After the fires erupted due to electrical cables in this village, it quickly spread to the nearby villages on this side and then to other villages. Just on the first night [of the wildfires], authorities had to evacuate five villages,' she added. 'For citizens of Turkiye living in the valleys and forests, life is becoming more difficult every year as climate change brings more wildfires. And this year, wildfires came earlier than expected to Turkiye,' said Koseoglu. Turkiye sends help to Syria In the meantime, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday. Turkiye also sent two firefighting aircraft on Saturday to help neighbouring Syria battle wildfires in its northwest Latakia region. Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to Raed al-Saleh, the Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management. Turkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects have been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 96 wildfires in Turkiye this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land. Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkiye to take measures to tackle the problem.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Wildfires force more evacuations in Turkiye and Greece
Wildfires force more evacuations in Turkiye and Greece NewsFeed A week-long heatwave has helped to fuel wildfires in Turkiye and Greece, where thousands of people have had to flee the flames. Video Duration 01 minutes 43 seconds 01:43 Video Duration 01 minutes 36 seconds 01:36 Video Duration 01 minutes 59 seconds 01:59 Video Duration 02 minutes 53 seconds 02:53 Video Duration 02 minutes 25 seconds 02:25 Video Duration 03 minutes 08 seconds 03:08 Video Duration 00 minutes 24 seconds 00:24
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Fires in Greece's Crete and near Athens extinguished; two dead in Turkiye
A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 people has been extinguished, officials say. Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters worked at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where residents had to leave their homes and visitors their accommodation on Wednesday evening. Reporting from the nearby village of Agia Fotia, Al Jazeera's John Psaropoulos said there was 'no active fire front' by Friday morning. Still, he added, helicopters were operating in the area to ensure there were no flare-ups. The fire left forest trees and some olive trees burned but caused no casualties. Two local MPs told Al Jazeera efforts were under way for the return of the people who were evacuated after the blaze broke out. Elsewhere in mainland Greece, a fire fanned by strong winds that erupted near the port town of Rafina, about 30km (18 miles) east of the capital, Athens, was brought under control on Thursday evening, authorities said. However, firefighting crews remained on alert as winds remained strong. The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean Sea. Greece has so far been spared the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal and France. But starting this weekend, temperatures will rise and reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country. Two dead in Turkiye Meanwhile, in neighbouring Turkiye, a local forestry worker was killed while trying to contain a fire near the western town of Odemis, while an 81-year-old resident died from smoke inhalation, authorities said. These were the first deaths in a series of wildfires that have forced thousands of people to flee. Separately, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to battle a wildfire near the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a popular vacation destination about 190km (120 miles) west of Odemis. That fire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighbourhoods and led to road closures. Television footage showed flames racing through dry vegetation on both sides of a highway. Over the past week, Turkiye has battled hundreds of wildfires fuelled by strong winds, extreme heat and low humidity. The blazes have damaged or destroyed about 200 homes. Hot dry weather is not unusual for Greece and Turkiye at this time of year. Devastating summer wildfires are common in both countries, with experts warning that climate change is intensifying conditions.
