Devastating wildfires spread in Turkey leaving two dead & forcing thousands to evacuate as city's mayor pleads for help
Firefighters have been
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Flames and smoke rise from burning trees while intervention continues against the fire that broke out yesterday in the forest area in Odemis district of Izmir
Credit: Getty
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Firefighters have been battling more than 600 fires fuelled by high winds in the drought-hit nation over the past week
Credit: Getty
6
Flames rise from burning trees while intervention continues against the fire that broke out in the forest area in Buca district of Izmir
Credit: Getty
6
The wildfires first erupted in tourist hotspot areas Kuyucak and Doganbey
which reached 25-30mph.
While authorities managed to gain control over some of the wildfire patches - a major fire near the resort town of Cesme - they were still battling two other wildfires.
One of them is in Buca, just south of Izmir, and another in Odemis - about 64 miles further east where an 81-year-old man died on Thursday.
"The village was evacuated but an elderly, bedridden patient could not be saved," said Salih Uzun, a lawmaker in Izmir for the main opposition CHP party.
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A forest worker in the same area died as he battled the blazes, the country's agriculture minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X.
Forecasters said temperatures were set to rise over the weekend and would reach around 40 degrees Celsius early next week.
The motorway connecting Izmir and Aydin to the southeast was closed because of the Buca fire, which began at 4:00 pm on Thursday and spread quickly due to the wind, CNN Turk said.
It said two people who had been cutting iron for use in construction had been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire.
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In a Facebook post that has since been shared thousands of times, the Mayor of Odemis Mustafa Turan was seen desperately pleading for help.
One local said: "The magnitude and frightening dimensions of the fire are frightening the people of Odemis."
Brutal Turkey fires spread fuelling travel chaos at tourist airports as 'petrol arsonist' arrested & 1,000 fight blazes
Earlier, two other fires broke out -- one in the southern resort of Antalya and the second in Istanbul's Sultan Gazi forest.
They were quickly contained by firefighters, officials said.
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Footage from Antalya showed flames raging in a forested area near a residential area in Lara, a popular tourist resort with many large hotels.
Planes were seen dumping large supplies of water over fiery infernos in order to combat the blazes.
And local residents watched in
Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the
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Foreign Minister Yumakli said: "Our heroes continue their relentless struggle against the flames under the toughest conditions, day and night, with all their might."
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The inferno tore through the coastal resort city with homes and cars torched
6
Smoke billows over hills marked with charred trees
Some 122 fire engines, 74 water tankers and 84 heavy machines have been deployed alongside more than a thousand people who are desperately working to
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Since Friday, hundreds of fires have been reported across drought-hit Turkey, fuelled by high winds.
On Monday, more than 50,000 people were evacuated, mostly in the Izmir area but also from the southern province of Hatay, the AFAD disaster management agency said.
According to figures on the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 90 wildfires in Turkey so far this year that have ravaged more than 35,082 hectares (86,689 acres) of land.
The figure on Monday was nearly 15,000 hectares destroyed in 65 fires.
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But one suspect, a beekeeper according to local media, has been held for allegedly starting a fire with gasoline and is facing charges of "intentionally causing a forest fire," the Minister added.
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AT least two people have died and thousands have been evacuated as devastating wildfires continue to rage in Turkey. Firefighters have been Advertisement 6 Flames and smoke rise from burning trees while intervention continues against the fire that broke out yesterday in the forest area in Odemis district of Izmir Credit: Getty 6 Firefighters have been battling more than 600 fires fuelled by high winds in the drought-hit nation over the past week Credit: Getty 6 Flames rise from burning trees while intervention continues against the fire that broke out in the forest area in Buca district of Izmir Credit: Getty 6 The wildfires first erupted in tourist hotspot areas Kuyucak and Doganbey which reached 25-30mph. While authorities managed to gain control over some of the wildfire patches - a major fire near the resort town of Cesme - they were still battling two other wildfires. One of them is in Buca, just south of Izmir, and another in Odemis - about 64 miles further east where an 81-year-old man died on Thursday. "The village was evacuated but an elderly, bedridden patient could not be saved," said Salih Uzun, a lawmaker in Izmir for the main opposition CHP party. Advertisement read more on wildfires A forest worker in the same area died as he battled the blazes, the country's agriculture minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X. Forecasters said temperatures were set to rise over the weekend and would reach around 40 degrees Celsius early next week. The motorway connecting Izmir and Aydin to the southeast was closed because of the Buca fire, which began at 4:00 pm on Thursday and spread quickly due to the wind, CNN Turk said. It said two people who had been cutting iron for use in construction had been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive In a Facebook post that has since been shared thousands of times, the Mayor of Odemis Mustafa Turan was seen desperately pleading for help. One local said: "The magnitude and frightening dimensions of the fire are frightening the people of Odemis." Brutal Turkey fires spread fuelling travel chaos at tourist airports as 'petrol arsonist' arrested & 1,000 fight blazes Earlier, two other fires broke out -- one in the southern resort of Antalya and the second in Istanbul's Sultan Gazi forest. They were quickly contained by firefighters, officials said. Advertisement Footage from Antalya showed flames raging in a forested area near a residential area in Lara, a popular tourist resort with many large hotels. Planes were seen dumping large supplies of water over fiery infernos in order to combat the blazes. And local residents watched in Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the Advertisement Foreign Minister Yumakli said: "Our heroes continue their relentless struggle against the flames under the toughest conditions, day and night, with all their might." 6 The inferno tore through the coastal resort city with homes and cars torched 6 Smoke billows over hills marked with charred trees Some 122 fire engines, 74 water tankers and 84 heavy machines have been deployed alongside more than a thousand people who are desperately working to Advertisement Since Friday, hundreds of fires have been reported across drought-hit Turkey, fuelled by high winds. On Monday, more than 50,000 people were evacuated, mostly in the Izmir area but also from the southern province of Hatay, the AFAD disaster management agency said. According to figures on the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 90 wildfires in Turkey so far this year that have ravaged more than 35,082 hectares (86,689 acres) of land. The figure on Monday was nearly 15,000 hectares destroyed in 65 fires. Advertisement But one suspect, a beekeeper according to local media, has been held for allegedly starting a fire with gasoline and is facing charges of "intentionally causing a forest fire," the Minister added.
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