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Arab News
04-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Firefighters master one Turkiye wildfire as two others rage on
ISTANBUL: Firefighters early Friday gained control over a major wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir but two others continued to ravage forests there, a minister said. Although Turkiye was spared the recent heatwaves that hit the rest of southern Europe, firefighters have been battling more than 600 fires in the drought-hit nation over the past week which have been fueled by high winds. By Friday morning, they had gained control over a major fire near the resort town of Cesme, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Turkiye's third city Izmir, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said. The firefighters' 'intense work overnight and the air intervention that resumed at dawn have brought the fire in Cesme under control,' he wrote on X. But they were still battling two other wildfires, one in Buca just south of Izmir and another in Odemis, about 100 kilometers further east where an 81-year-old man and a forestry worker died on Thursday. Forecasters said temperatures were set to rise over the weekend and would reach around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) in the province early next week. With the fire under control in Cesme, the road linking the peninsular to Izmir was reopened, Anadolu state news agency said. But the motorway connecting Izmir and Aydin to the southeast was closed because of the Buca fire, which began at 4:00 p.m. 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. 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 96 wildfires in Turkiye so far this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land. The area of land burnt has more than doubled since Monday when it stood at nearly 19,000 hectares. EFFIS only maps fires that cover an area of 30 hectares or more. Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and more intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkiye to take measures to tackle the problem.
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
Devastating wildfires spread in Turkey leaving two dead & forcing thousands to evacuate as city's mayor pleads for help
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.
France 24
04-07-2025
- Climate
- France 24
Firefighters master one Turkey wildfire as two others rage on
Although Turkey was spared the recent heatwaves that hit the rest of southern Europe, firefighters have been battling more than 600 fires in the drought-hit nation over the past week which have been fuelled by high winds. By Friday morning, they had gained control over a major fire near the resort town of Cesme, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Turkey's third city Izmir, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said. The firefighters' "intense work overnight and the air intervention that resumed at dawn have brought the fire in Cesme under control," he wrote on X. But they were still battling two other wildfires, one in Buca just south of Izmir and another in Odemis, about 100 kilometres further east where an 81-year-old man and a forestry worker died on Thursday. Forecasters said temperatures were set to rise over the weekend and would reach around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) in the province early next week. With the fire under control in Cesme, the road linking the peninsular to Izmir was reopened, Anadolu state news agency said. But 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. 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 96 wildfires in Turkey so far this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land. The area of land burnt has more than doubled since Monday when it stood at nearly 19,000 hectares. EFFIS only maps fires that cover an area of 30 hectares or more. Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and more intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkey to take measures to tackle the problem.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Erdogan, Syria's Sharaa hold talks in Istanbul
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday (May 24, 2025), news channel CNN Turk and state media said, broadcasting video of the two leaders greeting each other. The visit comes the day after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration issued orders that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria. Mr. Trump had pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after its devastating civil war. Video footage on Turkish television showed Erdogan shaking hands with Mr. Sharaa as he emerged from his car at the Dolmabahce Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey's largest city. The two countries' Foreign Ministers also attended the talks, as well as Turkey's Defence Minister and the head of the Turkish MIT intelligence agency, according to Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency. The Syrian delegation also included Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin and Mr. Sharaa on this week held talks in Syria on the Syrian Kurdish YPG militant group laying down its weapons and integrating into Syrian security forces, a Turkish security source said previously.
LBCI
24-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Erdogan, Syria's Sharaa hold talks in Istanbul: Media reports
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday, broadcaster CNN Turk and state media said. State broadcaster TRT Haber published photos of Sharaa shaking hands in Erdogan's offices at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. No further details were immediately available.
