Latest news with #Dardanelles
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Turkey wildfires largely contained, minister says
CANAKKALE, Turkey, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Firefighters contained several wildfires raging across Turkey on Tuesday, including a large blaze in the northwestern province of Canakkale that forced hundreds to flee from their homes. Both Canakkale airport and the Dardanelles Strait, which connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara, were temporarily shut due to the wildfires on Monday. Wildfires in Canakkale province and along the southern part of the Dardanelles Strait and in the western province of Izmir had been brought completely under control, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a post on X. Tugbagul Altan Gulgun, 40, said she and her family had left their home within minutes, only taking a few belongings. She had tried to reduce the risk by removing flammable items and watering nearby trees and surfaces. But their home did not escape the flames. "Our house was burnt on one side. It looks like you can go inside, but of course, many of our belongings, as well as the rooms and doors, are charred," Gulgun said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hundreds Evacuated in Northwestern Türkiye as Authorities Fight Wildfires
Firefighters in Türkiye are battling wildfires in the center of the northwestern province of Canakkale, fanned by strong winds, and hundreds of residents have evacuated in precaution, local authorities and media said on Monday. Airplanes, helicopters, vehicles and around 700 personnel are fighting against the blazes, city governor Omer Toraman said in a post on X. Authorities also launched precautionary evacuations in areas at risk including a university campus, military area and residential areas and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel to keep roads clear from traffic for emergency vehicles. The city's airport, the Dardanelles Strait, as well as a part of the highway were shut due to the wildfires, and local television footage showed huge plumes of smoke billowing over the hills. Water-spraying police vehicles were extinguishing blazes that spread to some residential buildings in the area according to footage from Anadolu news agency. Temperatures in the region reached 33 degrees Celsius with a wind speed reaching up to 66 kilometers per hour, according to Türkiye's meteorological service. Some 50 people were affected by smoke and were treated at nearby medical facilities, with no life-threatening conditions, the governor said.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Hundreds evacuated in northwestern Turkey as authorities fight wildfires
ISTANBUL, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Firefighters in Turkey are battling wildfires in the centre of the northwestern province of Canakkale, fanned by strong winds, and hundreds of residents have evacuated in precaution, local authorities and media said on Monday. Airplanes, helicopters, vehicles and around 700 personnel are fighting against the blazes, city governor Omer Toraman said in a post on X. Authorities also launched precautionary evacuations in areas at risk including a university campus, military area and residential areas and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel to keep roads clear from traffic for emergency vehicles. The city's airport, the Dardanelles Strait, as well as a part of the highway were shut due to the wildfires, and local television footage showed huge plumes of smoke billowing over the hills. Water-spraying police vehicles were extinguishing blazes that spread to some residential buildings in the area according to footage from Anadolu news agency. Temperatures in the region reached 33 degrees Celsius with a wind speed reaching up to 66 kilometers per hour, according to Turkey's meteorological service. Some 50 people were affected by smoke and were treated at nearby medical facilities, with no life-threatening conditions, the governor said.
The National
5 days ago
- Climate
- The National
Turkey closes Dardanelles strait due to forest fire
Turkey on Friday closed the Dardanelles strait to shipping due to forest fires in the area. A statement provided to The National by Turkey's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said ship traffic in the Dardanelles had been "temporarily suspended in both directions due to the fires in Canakkale." An official was unable to confirm a schedule from the ministry's directorate of coastal safety that suggested the closure would continue until midnight. A regional governor said firefighters were working from air and land to tackle the rural fires. More than a dozen people have been killed amid fires and searing summer temperatures in Turkey in recent weeks, at times going above 50°C. About 100 ships a day pass typically through the Dardanelles strait, which together with the Bosphorus forms the Turkish Straits that link the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas to the Black Sea.
France 24
6 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Italy gives final go-ahead for landmark Sicily bridge project
Italy's government gave final approval on Wednesday to the construction of what will be the world's longest single-span bridge, linking Sicily to the mainland, despite environmental, financial and other concerns that have delayed it for decades. The 3.7-kilometre (2.3-mile) structure, set to break the record currently held by Turkey's Canakkale Bridge across the Dardanelles, has been under discussion since at least the late 1960s as a tool to develop Italy's poorer south.
