Latest news with #AliYerlikaya
Hans India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Hans India
Two major wildfires force mass evacuations in Turkey
Istanbul: Two major wildfires in northwestern and northern Turkey triggered mass evacuations, with strong winds pushing flames toward residential areas and trapping vehicles on engulfed roads, local authorities said. In Bursa province, an uncontrolled blaze between Kestel and Gursu districts spread rapidly toward villages, forcing evacuations. Online videos showed residents fleeing on foot as fire engulfed a main roadway, briefly stranding vehicles including civilian aid cars. Meanwhile, a blaze that began on Thursday in Karabuk province remained uncontained, prompting precautionary evacuation of nearly 20 villages. Authorities closed the Ankara-Karabuk highway as residents attempted to relocate livestock from danger zones, Xinhua news agency reported. Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli confirmed on Saturday 76 active fires nationwide -- 28 forested and 48 rural, citing extreme heat and "very high risk" conditions. He said firefighting teams will continue night operations. Temperatures reached 38 degrees Celsius in Bursa and 37 degrees Celsius in Karabuk on Saturday, with forecasts predicting even higher temperatures over the next two days. On July 23, ten firefighters died and 14 others were injured when trying to extinguish a forest fire in Turkey's central province of Eskisehir. "We lost 10 lives, five forest workers and five Search and Rescue Association volunteers," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on social media platform X. Yerlikaya said the 14 injured are currently in hospital for treatment. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed sorrow over the loss and promised compensation for their families. Firefighting teams were working to extinguish flames in the western and central provinces of Sakarya, Antalya, Eskisehir, Bilecik and Denizli, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported earlier in the day. Turkey's Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters that the total number of fires since the beginning of the year has exceeded 4,000, with 1,728 occurring in forested areas. He warned of the growing threat of these fires as temperatures soar across the country.
Arab Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- Arab Times
Fires engulf Turkey's Mediterranean coast as government declares 2 disaster zones
ISTANBUL, July 26, (AP): New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be disaster zones. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Homes were evacuated in the city center and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, privately owned news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was "showing a tendency to grow,' and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat. "The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centers, among houses,' he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries.' At 46.1C (115F), July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, meanwhile, said Friday that Izmir and Bilecik provinces had been declared "disaster areas affecting public life," one step below the most serious level of emergency. Between June 27 and Thursday, residents from 120 neighborhoods nationwide were evacuated, Yerlikaya added, and more than 12,000 workers under the ministry's authority, such as police and rescue staff, had fought the fires. In a social media post, the minister said 311 homes had been destroyed or seriously damaged during the monthlong blazes and 85 temporary housing units were set up across three western provinces for those made homeless. Speaking after Friday prayers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey was "faced with a truly great disaster.' He said that 25,000 personnel were fighting fires across the country, assisted by 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 6,000 ground vehicles. Turkey has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Thirteen people have died, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Turkey.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Fires Engulf Türkiye's Mediterranean Coast as Government Declares 2 Disaster Zones
New wildfires broke out on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be disaster zones. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Homes were evacuated in the city center and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, privately owned news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was "showing a tendency to grow," and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat. "The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centers, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries." At 46.1C (115F), July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, meanwhile, said Friday that Izmir and Bilecik provinces had been declared "disaster areas affecting public life," one step below the most serious level of emergency. Between June 27 and Thursday, residents from 120 neighborhoods nationwide were evacuated, Yerlikaya added, and more than 12,000 workers under the ministry's authority, such as police and rescue staff, had fought the fires. In a social media post, the minister said 311 homes had been destroyed or seriously damaged during the monthlong blazes and 85 temporary housing units were set up across three western provinces for those made homeless. Speaking after Friday prayers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Türkiye was "faced with a truly great disaster." He said that 25,000 personnel were fighting fires across the country, assisted by 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 6,000 ground vehicles. Türkiye has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Thirteen people have died, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Türkiye. The funerals for the 10 were on Thursday. Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires. East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. Albania battles fires The heat wave in the eastern Mediterranean region saw 1,000 firefighters and soldiers battle flames in Albania as temperatures reached 42 C (107 F). In the Albanian city of Elbasan, firefighters have been combating a weeklong blaze in the country's central mountain forests. Fires have also broke out near the southern border with Greece. Cyprus aftermath In the aftermath of one of Cyprus' worst wildfires in living memory, it wasn't lost on Cypriot officials that climate change may have been a significant contributing factor to the pace and ferocity of the flames. Both government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis and Fire Chief Nicos Longinos referred to the arid conditions, with temperatures hitting 44 C (111 F) and very strong winds that quickly overwhelmed fire crews. Even 14 firefighting aircraft couldn't douse the multiple, fast-moving fire fronts quickly enough. Cyprus is in its third year of minimal winter rains on which it relies for drinking water and for agricultural purposes, even as the government is revving up additional desalination projects. The fire that moved at breakneck speed left two dead, forced the evacuation of 16 communities, scorched dozens of homes and destroyed many orchards and farms. Quizzed by a reporter about criticisms that the Fire Service didn't move quickly enough, Longinos was on the verge of tears when he said that he and all his firefighters have taken an oath to "give their lives" if need be to save lives and property.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Fires engulf Turkiye's Mediterranean coast as government declares 2 disaster zones
ISTANBUL: New wildfires broke out on Turkiye's Mediterranean coast Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be disaster zones. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Homes were evacuated in the city center and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, privately owned news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Friday that Izmir and Bilecik provinces had been declared 'disaster areas affecting public life,' one step below the most serious level of emergency. Between June 27 and Thursday, residents from 120 neighborhoods nationwide were evacuated, Yerlikaya added, and more than 12,000 workers under the ministry's authority, such as police and rescue staff, had fought the fires. In a social media post, the minister said 311 homes had been destroyed or seriously damaged during the monthlong blazes and 85 temporary housing units were set up across three western provinces for those made homeless. Turkiye has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Thirteen people have died, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Turkiye. The funerals for the 10 were on Thursday. Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires. East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. The heat wave in the eastern Mediterranean region saw 1,000 firefighters and soldiers battle flames in Albania as temperatures reached 42 C (107 F). In the Albanian city of Elbasan, firefighters have been combating a weeklong blaze in the country's central mountain forests. Fires have also broke out near the southern border with Greece.
4 days ago
- Climate
Fires engulf Turkey's Mediterranean coast as government declares 2 disaster zones
ISTANBUL -- New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be disaster zones. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Homes were evacuated in the city center and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, privately owned news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was 'showing a tendency to grow,' and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat. 'The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centers, among houses,' he said. 'We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries.' Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, meanwhile, said Friday that Izmir and Bilecik provinces had been declared 'disaster areas affecting public life," one step below the most serious level of emergency. Between June 27 and Thursday, residents from 120 neighborhoods nationwide were evacuated, Yerlikaya added, and more than 12,000 workers under the ministry's authority, such as police and rescue staff, had fought the fires. In a social media post, the minister said 311 homes had been destroyed or seriously damaged during the monthlong blazes and 85 temporary housing units were set up across three western provinces for those made homeless. Speaking after Friday prayers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey was 'faced with a truly great disaster.' He said that 25,000 personnel were fighting fires across the country, assisted by 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 6,000 ground vehicles. Turkey has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Thirteen people have died, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Turkey. The funerals for the 10 were on Thursday. Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires. East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. The heat wave in the eastern Mediterranean region saw 1,000 firefighters and soldiers battle flames in Albania as temperatures reached 42 C (107 F). In the Albanian city of Elbasan, firefighters have been combating a weeklong blaze in the country's central mountain forests. Fires have also broke out near the southern border with Greece.
