Brutal Turkey fires spread fuelling travel chaos at tourist airports as ‘petrol arsonist' arrested & 1,000 fight blazes
One suspect has been arrested and accused of starting the fire with gasoline by allegedly setting his own house alight.
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Firefighters are continuing to battle with the raging blazes in the western province of Izmir.
Wildfires in Kuyucak and Doganbey areas of the tourist hotspot were fanned overnight by winds reaching a devastating 25-30mph.
Four villages and two neighbourhoods were forced to evacuate, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.
122 fire engines, 74 water tankers and 84 heavy machines have been deployed alongside more than a thousand people who are desperately working to extinguish the flames, Yumakli added.
Three residents reportedly suffered from smoke inhalation but no fatalities were reported.
Shocking footage shows teams using tractors with water trailers and helicopters carrying water while smoke billows over hills marked with charred trees.
Adnan Menderes Airport was forced to temporarily close due to the raging wildfires, with some incoming planes forced to divert to other airports.
Extinguishing efforts prevented jets from taking off or landing at the airport on Sunday.
Flights scheduled to land at Adnan, which serves the popular holiday hotspot Izmir, were reportedly diverted amid the travel mayhem - with services only just returning to normal.
And hundreds were left stranded following the major disruption.
According to the airport's website, flights scheduled to depart on Sunday night will finally be taking off today - but disruptions and cancellations have already been announced.
One flight headed for London Stansted has endured a 20-hour delay, with other flights to European cities cancelled completely.
Turkey's Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said that 17 suspects linked to fires between June 26 and 28 had been detained.
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.
Wildfires were also reported in Kahramanmaraş, Bursa, Sakarya, Bilecik, Gaziantep, Bolu and Manisa this week.
And while those in Sakarya and Manisa are now largely under control, Izmir remains a hotspot for the flames.
Harrowing images posted by Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry shows firefighters working tirelessly through the night to extinguish flames.
Planes were seen dumping large supplies of water over fiery infernos in order to combat the blazes.
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And local residents watched in horror as their homes were torched up and forestry continued to burn.
Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the flames.
Foreign Minister Yumakli said: "Our heroes continue their relentless struggle against the flames under the toughest conditions, day and night, with all their might."
The exact cause of the fire is currently unknown.
But preliminary findings suggest the inferno may have been caused by a high-voltage power line.
The governor of the province, Süleyman Elban, cautioned the population yesterday to exercise extreme caution in the next few days.
He said low humidity and high temperatures would aggravate the risk of more fires.
He said low humidity and high temperatures would aggravate the risk of more fires.
Temperatures in Izmir are expected to soar to 36C later today, and could even reach 40C later on in the week.
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