Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Saturday that about 4,000 people in western Turkey have been evacuated to safe areas as forest fires continue to rage in at least four cities and provinces.
A total of 131 forest fires broke out in agricultural lands and forests in cities including Izmir, Aydin, Bolu, Mugla and Manisa over the past week, AFAD reported on social media site X.
In Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, flames from a forest fire reached a residential complex and an industrial area late Friday, causing panic, Turkish broadcaster TRT reported.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumkli told reporters in Izmir early Saturday that 17 residential houses burned down last night and 106 homes and 44 workplaces were evacuated in the Yamanlar district of Izmir.
The Turkish Ministry of Health announced last night, Friday, that 78 people were injured in a forest fire in the western province of Izmir, including 29 injured people who are still receiving treatment in hospitals, according to what was reported today, Saturday, by the Anadolu Agency.
A fire broke out last Tuesday in the Yamanlar Mountain area of Izmir, before the authorities largely controlled it by Thursday afternoon.
However, the fire broke out again on Thursday evening, and spread very quickly due to winds that reached speeds of 80 km per hour, according to a statement by Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban.
Local Turkish media reported on Friday that the fire reached a multi-storey residential complex in the Karsiyaka district of central Izmir.
The exact number of homes burned was not immediately clear, Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay told Halk TV.
Tugay added that residents were evacuated to safe areas, adding that hundreds of firefighters are struggling to put out the fire.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Turkey has been battling a heat wave over the summer, which has caused forest fires across the country.
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