Latest news with #Elban
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Firefighters report progress in taming Turkey wildfires
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox ANKARA - Firefighters in Turkey have contained six of nine wildfires tearing across western Izmir province, officials said on Friday, after the blazes killed two people and forced thousands to evacuate their homes earlier in the week. Strong winds and faulty power lines have fuelled the flames, officials said. "With the intense efforts of our forest heroes throughout the night and aerial intervention at first light, the fire in Cesme has been brought under control," Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X on Friday. "Our intense efforts by air and land continue to bring the fires in Odemis and Buca under control," he added. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists - with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate. Izmir governor Suleyman Elban said the main challenge was strong and shifting winds. "It constantly changes direction," he told reporters. Elban said nine planes, 22 helicopters and 1,100 vehicles were battling the fires across the region. Two people were killed on Thursday: an 81-year-old bedridden man, and a backhoe operator who died while helping firefighting efforts, state media reported. Elban said preliminary findings indicated that recent fires in the province, including those brought under control earlier in the week, were caused by power cables. REUTERS
The Star
3 hours ago
- Climate
- The Star
Firefighters report progress in taming Turkey wildfires
A firefighter responds to a wildfire between Urla and Cesme districts of Izmir, Turkey, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Tuncay Dersinlioglu ANKARA (Reuters) -Firefighters in Turkey have contained six of nine wildfires tearing across western Izmir province, officials said on Friday, after the blazes killed two people and forced thousands to evacuate their homes earlier in the week. Strong winds and faulty power lines have fuelled the flames, officials said. "With the intense efforts of our forest heroes throughout the night and aerial intervention at first light, the fire in Cesme has been brought under control," Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X on Friday. "Our intense efforts by air and land continue to bring the fires in Odemis and Buca under control," he added. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists - with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate. Izmir governor Suleyman Elban said the main challenge was strong and shifting winds. "It constantly changes direction," he told reporters. Elban said nine planes, 22 helicopters and 1,100 vehicles were battling the fires across the region. Two people were killed on Thursday: an 81-year-old bedridden man, and a backhoe operator who died while helping firefighting efforts, state media reported. Elban said preliminary findings indicated that recent fires in the province, including those brought under control earlier in the week, were caused by power cables. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Sharon Singleton)
Nahar Net
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Nahar Net
Elderly man dies as wildfires rage in Turkey
Firefighters on Thursday discovered the body of an elderly man after extinguishing a wildfire near a village in western Turkey, while crews elsewhere continued to battle another blaze that closed a highway and forced some residents to be evacuated from their homes. The 81-year-old-man died from smoke inhalation in a village near the town of Odemis, Suleyman Elban, the governor for Izmir province, said. His death marks the first fatality in a series of wildfires across the country that have forced thousands to flee. A total of 37 other villagers were safely evacuated by security forces and emergency teams, Elban said. Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to extinguish a wildfire blazing in the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a tourism hotspot some 192 kilometers (120 miles) west of Odemis. That wildfire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighborhoods and closed roads. Television footage of the blaze showed flames burning through dried vegetation on both sides of a road. Elban said the wildfires in Izmir province are believed to have been sparked by electrical lines, which ignited dry grass and spread rapidly due to wind. In the past week, Turkey has battled hundreds of fires across the country that were fueled by fierce winds, scorching heat and low humidity. The fires — most of which were brought under control — damaged or destroyed around 200 homes, the majority in İzmir, the Interior Ministry said. Dozens of barns were also destroyed. As firefighting crews battled the blazes, Turkey's parliament adopted the country's first climate law late Wednesday, in a move aimed at reaching net-zero emissions by 2053. The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission. It also imposes fines on companies that fail to comply with the requirements. The U.K.-based environmental advocacy group ClientEarth on Thursday welcomed the law's symbolic importance but said it has several shortcomings. "The law lacks ambitious, science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the medium-term and offers no commitment to phasing out fossil fuels," the group said.
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Elderly man dies as wildfires rage in Turkey, forcing evacuations and road closures
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Firefighters on Thursday discovered the body of an elderly man after extinguishing a wildfire near a village in western Turkey, while crews elsewhere continued to battle another blaze that closed a highway and forced some residents to be evacuated from their homes. The 81-year-old-man died from smoke inhalation in a village near the town of Odemis, Suleyman Elban, the governor for Izmir province, said. His death marks the first fatality in a series of wildfires across the country that have forced thousands to flee. A total of 37 other villagers were safely evacuated by security forces and emergency teams, Elban said. Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to extinguish a wildfire blazing in the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a tourism hotspot some 192 kilometers (120 miles) west of Odemis. That wildfire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighborhoods and closed roads. Television footage of the blaze showed flames burning through dried vegetation on both sides of a road. Elban said the wildfires in Izmir province are believed to have been sparked by electrical lines, which ignited dry grass and spread rapidly due to wind. In the past week, Turkey has battled hundreds of fires across the country that were fueled by fierce winds, scorching heat and low humidity. The fires — most of which were brought under control — damaged or destroyed around 200 homes, the majority in İzmir, the Interior Ministry said. Dozens of barns were also destroyed. As firefighting crews battled the blazes, Turkey's parliament adopted the country's first climate law late Wednesday, in a move aimed at reaching net-zero emissions by 2053. The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission. It also imposes fines on companies that fail to comply with the requirements. The U.K.-based environmental advocacy group ClientEarth on Thursday welcomed the law's symbolic importance but said it has several shortcomings. 'The law lacks ambitious, science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the medium-term and offers no commitment to phasing out fossil fuels,' the group said.
a day ago
- Climate
Elderly man dies as wildfires rage in Turkey, forcing evacuations and road closures
ANKARA, Turkey -- Firefighters on Thursday discovered the body of an elderly man after dousing a wildfire near a village in western Turkey, while crews elsewhere continued to battle another blaze that closed a highway and forced some residents to be evacuated from their homes. The 81-year-old-man died from smoke inhalation in a village near the town of Odemis, Suleyman Elban, the governor for Izmir province, said. His death marks the first fatality in a series of wildfires across the country that have forced thousands to flee. A total of 37 other villagers were safely evacuated by security forces and emergency teams, Elban said. Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to extinguish a wildfire blazing in the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a tourism hotspot some 192 kilometers (120 miles) west of Odemis. That wildfire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighborhoods and closed roads. Television footage of the blaze showed flames burning through dried vegetation on both sides of a road. Elban said the wildfires in Izmir province are believed to have been sparked by electrical lines, which ignited dry grass and spread rapidly due to wind. Turkey has in the past week battled hundreds of fires across the country that were fuelled by fierce winds, scorching heat and low humidity. The fires, most of which have now been extinguished, led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
