Wildfire in Turkey's Izmir province spreads to residential area, killing bedridden man, report says
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -A wildfire killed a bedridden man who was home alone in Turkey's western Izmir province after it spread to a residential area, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Thursday, the first casualty after nearly a week of scattered blazes.
The man, 81, was killed in the Odemis district where firefighters battled the blaze for a second day, with several helicopters and other aircraft dropping water on the mountainous terrain amid billowing smoke.
Authorities closed some roads to the Aegean resort town of Cesme due to fire, Anadolu said. Broadcasters showed footage of flames across parts of the main highway as water tankers arrived.
Wildfires across Turkey's west have damaged some 200 homes, and victims were provided alternative accommodation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
Some 50,000 people were temporarily evacuated earlier in the week due to fires, which were stoked by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds. Some have been contained.
Other blazes also broke out on Thursday in the southern resort province of Antalya and just outside Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, according to Anadolu.
(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Bernadette Baum)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Czech PM confirms nationwide efforts to restore power after major outage
THE Czech Republic is facing an extraordinary situation due to a major power outage and everyone is working to restore electricity supplies, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Friday on social media platform X. The Czech police has said earlier there was no evidence of cyber or terrorist attack so far. - Reuters
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Czech Republic hit by major power outage
Trams are immobilized during a major power outage in Prague, Czech Republic, July 4, 2025. CTK/Ptacek Jan via REUTERS PRAGUE (Reuters) - A major power outage that hit parts of the Czech Republic on Friday, briefly halting underground trains in the capital Prague, was probably the result of a technical outage, with no signs of a cyber or terrorist attack, authorities said. The incident is likely to add to concerns about the resilience of Europe's power grids and infrastructure after Spain suffered the worst blackout in its history in April and a fire knocked out the power supply to London's Heathrow airport in March. "Part of the transmission system is without voltage; the event affected also a larger part of transmission system substations," grid operator CEPS said in a statement. CEPS later said that five out of eight affected substations had resumed operation and the causes of the outage were being investigated. It affected the Liberec, North-Bohemia, East-Bohemia and Central Bohemia regions, as well as Prague, CEPS said. Speaking on Czech Television, Interior Minster Vit Rakusan said the authorities had no information to suggest there had been a cyber or terrorist attack. Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka said on X trains were halted on a number of lines and five out of 14 regions of the country were affected. Prague transport company DPP said it had restored operations after underground trains were briefly halted and tram traffic stopped on the right bank of the capital. Czech media reported a number of people trapped in elevators in parts of Prague and central Bohemia. which operates part of the grid in south and south-eastern Czech Republic, said its supply area was not affected. Neighbouring Poland's power grid operator also said its systems were unaffected. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka, Vera Dvorakova, Nina Chestney, writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Mark Potter and Barbara Lewis)
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Greece fights Crete wildfire amid Europe heatwave, tourists evacuated
ATHENS: Firefighters battled for a third day on Friday to put out a wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that has razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to leave the area. Around 130 firefighters, 48 vehicles and six helicopters were deployed in the effort, working with gale-force wind gusts and dry conditions that could rekindle the fire in areas already contained. Wind gusts could fan embers from smouldering trunks of olive and pine trees on the ground, a fire brigade official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The fire in Crete comes as much of Europe swelters in an early summer heatwave, which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. The fire, which broke out in a village about 16 km (10 miles) east of Ierapetra on Wednesday, has consumed swathes of agricultural land in the southeastern corner of the island, leaving dead animals, damaged houses and scorched farmhouses. Some 1,000 residents evacuated on Wednesday found temporary shelter at an indoor stadium and in nearby hotels and about 5,000 holidaymakers left the area. Many of the evacuees were expected to make their way back home later on Friday as the situation improved, George Tsapakos, a deputy civil protection governor for Crete, told Reuters. Tourism is a key earner in Crete, the largest island in Greece, and local hoteliers were concerned about the impact on future bookings as the fire hit at the start of the peak summer holiday season. Separately, some 148 firefighters battled a fire that broke out in the Athens suburb of Pikermi on Thursday, threatening many homes, causing power cuts and prompting authorities to move more than 300 people to safety. The fire was contained but not extinguished, the fire brigade official said. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on Friday, the Greek weather service said. In Italy, the health ministry put 20 of the 27 cities it monitors for heatwaves on red alert on Friday. RAI public broadcaster said temperatures would go as high as 38 C in Florence and 37 C in Rome, Bologna and Perugia. With the heat comes a higher risk of wildfires. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed 'a wildfire hotspot' by scientists - with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate. - Reuters
