In the industrial area of Karsiyaka, the fire damaged 30 shops, wrote the mayor of Karsiyaka, Cemil Tugay, on X. Several houses in other residential areas had already burned down, the governor of Izmir, Süleyman Elban, told journalists. At least one village had to be evacuated. No injuries have been reported so far.
More than 1,000 emergency personnel are involved in the firefighting operations in the Bayrakli district, about 15 kilometers north of the center of the coastal metropolis. Firefighting helicopters are also in use, but strong winds are making it difficult to fight the fire from the air. According to a dpa correspondent, Turkey’s third-largest city was enveloped in thick clouds of smoke on Friday. The cause of the fire was initially unclear.
Turkey has been battling a heat wave and forest fires across the country since the beginning of summer. According to TRT, there were isolated forest fires in at least six cities and provinces on Friday, including the western cities of Canakkale, Manisa and Bolu. A huge forest fire also raged in neighboring Greece northeast of Athens.
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