Over 50,000 evacuated as Turkiye battles Izmir wildfires for second day

ISTANBUL: Turkiye continued to fight intense wildfires for a second straight day on Monday in its western province of Izmir, prompting the evacuation of more than 50,000 residents from 41 affected areas, Al Jazeera reported, citing local authorities.

As per Al Jazeera, citing Turkish Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, strong overnight winds, reaching 40-50 km/h (25-30 mph), fuelled the fires in the Kuyucak and Doganbey regions with over 1,000 personnel, along with helicopters, firefighting aircraft, and ground vehicles involved in the firefighting efforts.

The Turkish disaster agency AFAD later confirmed on X that more than 50,000 people had been temporarily relocated, mostly from areas near Izmir, a popular resort region. “A total of over 50,000 citizens from 41 settlements have been temporarily relocated to safe areas”, AFAD stated on X.

Turkey under burning skies — Apocalyptic orange haze blankets the nation as wildfires sweep through 5 regions, forcing 50,000 to flee pic.twitter.com/m25Rvt4Zhg

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Due to the spreading fire, operations at Izmir’s Adnan Menderes Airport were suspended, with visuals showing thick smoke, scorched hills, and helicopters dropping water, while residents used tractors equipped with water tanks to combat the flames, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Earlier efforts were hampered when high winds grounded helicopters, leaving water-bombing planes and ground crews to contain the fire. The initial blaze started on Sunday between the Seferihisar and Menderes districts. The fire rapidly expanded with wind gusts up to 117 km/h (75 mph), Al Jazeera stated, citing the Governor of Izmir, Suleyman Elban.

Another fire erupted at a landfill site in Gaziemir, just 13 km (8 miles) from central Izmir, spreading into nearby forest areas and threatening the Otokent industrial zone, where multiple car dealerships are located, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Turkiye’s coastal areas have also experienced increasing wildfire threats in recent years due to hotter, drier summers, conditions scientists attribute to climate change. The same region in Izmir suffered a major wildfire just last year. (ANI)