“Thousands have been forced to evacuate as wildfires continue to rage across western Turkey. Nearly 4,000 residents have been moved to safety, and six individuals have been arrested on suspicion of sabotage, according to authorities.
The wildfires have swept through vast areas, particularly impacting the resort city of Izmir on Turkey’s Aegean coast. The situation escalated on Saturday when helicopters and water bombers, previously grounded due to strong winds, were deployed to combat the flames.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that 900 people were evacuated overnight from five districts in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, or AFAD, announced that a total of 1,430 people in Izmir, 1,475 in Manisa, 516 in Bolu, and 550 in Aydin have been evacuated. Over the past week, 131 wildfires have broken out in these regions, affecting both agricultural and forested areas.
In a press briefing, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli revealed that 17 homes were destroyed overnight, with 105 houses and 44 workplaces evacuated in Izmir’s Yamanlar neighborhood. He added that two planes and 11 helicopters are actively fighting the fires.
The wildfires have already ravaged approximately 1,600 hectares, or nearly 4,000 acres. Six people have been detained on suspicion of sabotage, with two arrests made in Izmir and four in the northwestern city of Bolu.
Wildfires are a common occurrence in Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the dry summer months. This year, heatwaves across the Mediterranean have also fueled wildfires in other areas, including Greece, where at least one person has died in what has been described as the worst wildfire outbreak around Athens in recent days.
Experts warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events worldwide, leading to more frequent wildfires and floods.”