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First Post
a day ago
- Climate
- First Post
Turkey battles raging wildfires as record heat prompts mass evacuations
Firefighters battled wildfires across Turkey on Sunday amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave, with authorities evacuating more than 3,600 people from settlements in two provinces. read more A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Ridvan Bostanci/IHA via AP) Firefighters in Turkey continued to battle multiple wildfires on Sunday as a blistering Mediterranean heatwave forced the evacuation of over 3,600 residents across several provinces. The blazes, fuelled by record-breaking temperatures erupted in the southern regions of Mersin and Antalya and the central province of Usak, with officials reporting that these fires were largely under control. However, fires still raged in the northwestern province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabuk, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said during a press briefing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A major fire ignited Saturday in the forested areas between Gursu and Kestel districts in Bursa, a region central to Turkey's automobile industry. The blaze forced a temporary closure of a highway linking Istanbul with the western city of Izmir on Saturday night. Videos showed towering flames consuming trees near residential areas in Bursa, with thick plumes of smoke blanketing the skies. Authorities evacuated around 1,765 people from Kestel district as more than 2,000 firefighters, aided by six planes and four helicopters, worked to contain the spread. In the northern province of Karabuk, where a large wildfire has been burning for five days, 1,839 people in 19 villages were evacuated, Yumakli said. Three planes and 16 helicopters are tackling the blazes in the area amid difficult conditions, he added. 'We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days,' Yumakli said, referring to the heat-wave. Temperatures in several regions in Turkey were forecast to reach over 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 6 to 12 degrees above seasonal norms, Turkey's meteorological service said, as thermometers hit 50 degrees Celsius in the country's southeast on Saturday for the first time in recorded history.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DEVASTATING wildfires have once again erupted in Turkey with hundreds of people evacuated as massive blazes continue to rip through the country. The president of the country has warned of a "truly great disaster" after at least 13 people died in the fatal fires. 10 A view of smoke rising from a forest fire burning in the mountainous area in Turkey Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Ridvan Bostanci/IHA via AP) Credit: AP 10 Turkish General Directorate of Forestry teams and firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the forested areas in Alanya and Gazipasa Credit: Getty 10 Smoke and flames rise among the trees as villagers are being evacuated after a forest fire Credit: Getty New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". 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. 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 centre and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, 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. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country faced "a truly great disaster" after 25,000 people got involved in the emergency effort. Two burned alive in Cyprus & another 10 killed in Turkey in horror wildfires On Thursday, at least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey. Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. He said that ten firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, Yumakli said late on Wednesday, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three Turkish provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe. 10 Smoke rises from the burnt area as firefighting efforts continue on the third day of forest fires in Turkish city of Karabuk on July 25 Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey Credit: AP 10 Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Osmaneli in the western Bilecik province, Turkey Credit: Reuters 10 Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated. 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 centres, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries." At 46.1°C, July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Turkey has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Firefighters were battling more than 600 fires fuelled by high winds in the drought-hit nation. Residents watched in horror as their homes were torched up and forestry continued to burn. Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the flames. Meanwhile, Cyprus has been hit with its worst wildfires "for 50 years" amid growing fears a 44°C heatwave will fuel the blaze even further. The country has plunged into chaos after two people were burnt alive and more than 70 houses were destroyed. 10 Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire the Cypriot village of Omodos Credit: AFP 10 Residents try to extinguish the blazes in Cyprus Credit: AP
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'
DEVASTATING wildfires have once again erupted in Turkey with hundreds of people evacuated as massive blazes continue to rip through the country. The president of the country has warned of a "truly great disaster" after at least Advertisement 10 A view of smoke rising from a forest fire burning in the mountainous area in Turkey Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Ridvan Bostanci/IHA via AP) Credit: AP 10 Turkish General Directorate of Forestry teams and firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the forested areas in Alanya and Gazipasa Credit: Getty 10 Smoke and flames rise among the trees as villagers are being evacuated after a forest fire Credit: Getty New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". 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. 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. Advertisement read more world news Homes were evacuated in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, 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. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country faced "a truly great disaster" after 25,000 people got involved in the emergency effort. Two burned alive in Cyprus & another 10 killed in Turkey in horror wildfires On Thursday, at least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey. Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. Advertisement He said that ten firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, Yumakli said late on Wednesday, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three Turkish provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe. Advertisement 10 Smoke rises from the burnt area as firefighting efforts continue on the third day of forest fires in Turkish city of Karabuk on July 25 Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey Credit: AP 10 Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Osmaneli in the western Bilecik province, Turkey Credit: Reuters 10 Advertisement Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated. 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 centres, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries." Advertisement At 46.1°C, July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Turkey has faced Firefighters were Residents watched in Advertisement Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the Meanwhile, Cyprus has been hit with its heatwave will fuel the blaze even further. The country has plunged into chaos after two people were burnt alive and more than 70 houses were destroyed. 10 Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire the Cypriot village of Omodos Credit: AFP Advertisement 10 Residents try to extinguish the blazes in Cyprus Credit: AP
