Latest news with #Karabuk
CBC
a day ago
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfires scorch large swaths of southeast Europe and the Balkans
Firefighters battled on Monday to put out wildfires in three separate provinces of Turkey, in Greece and near a tourist resort in Albania, stoked by strong winds after days of searing heat across the Mediterranean region. Smoke billowed over the mountainous Black Sea province of Karabuk, 200 kilometres north of the capital, Ankara, as a wildfire that raged for a sixth day forced the evacuation of more than a dozen villages and burned swaths of forests. In the northwestern province of Bursa, three firefighters were killed on Sunday when their vehicle crashed, Turkey's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said on Monday. Crews fought two separate fires there on Monday, following the evacuation of more than 3,600 people from settlements in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya. Turkey has suffered dozens of wildfires in recent weeks as temperatures have soared, and 10 firefighters were killed last week battling a blaze in the central Eskisehir province. Hot and dry summers are common in the Mediterranean region, but more intense heat waves have contributed to destructive wildfires in recent years amid fast-rising temperatures across the globe. At least 44 wildfires broke out in Greece in the past 24 hours, the fire brigade said on Monday afternoon. On the southern Greek island of Kythera, strong winds rekindled a fire burning since Saturday. In Athens, firefighters quickly contained a fire that broke out at the foot of Mount Hymettus, near a university campus and densely populated suburbs. Over the weekend, several villages in Greece were evacuated, and five people were injured in separate wildfires. As Greece saw off its third summer heat wave on Monday, rainy weather in Serbia helped firefighters there bring more than 100 wildfires under control. In Albania, more than 900 firefighters assisted by the army battled to control a wildfire before it reached the seaside city of Saranda and other tourist resorts in the south of the country on the Ionian coast. Some 13 people have been arrested for arson-related offences in the past three days, police said. Bulgaria, assisted by several European countries, deployed firefighting planes to help tame a large wildfire near the Bulgarian-Turkish border. So far, the flames have scorched nearly 6,500 hectares in total. Two people have been detained by authorities investigating the cause of the fires, according to local media. WATCH | The increasing danger of wildfire smoke: Scientists concerned wildfire smoke may become increasingly toxic 4 days ago Some scientists say more research needs to be done on what toxic chemicals may be re-released into the air, as climate change makes a type of wetland that naturally stores pollution more vulnerable to fire.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Khaleej Times
Video: Turkey battles wildfires amid scorching heat as death toll rises to 14
Firefighters were battling several blazes across Turkey on Monday when the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, officials said. Wildfires across Turkey over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths. Nineteen villages and more than 3,500 people have been evacuated from their homes. Turkey is experiencing a heatwave that peaked with temperatures above 40°C across much of the country last week and even reached a record high of 50.5°C on Friday in the far southeast, in Silopi, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Firefighters are currently battling blazes around the city of Bursa in the northwest, the Karabuk region in the north and the Kahramanmaras region in the south. On Sunday, the UAE Embassy in Istanbul issued a safety advisory to its citizens residing in Turkey, urging caution due to ongoing forest fires in the region, particularly in the city of Bursa. "Five fires have been brought under control in four provinces," said Agriculture and Forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli. But he said the efforts were hampered by strong winds that are fanning the flames. "Given the size and intensity of the fires, the state's ability to respond quickly to such disasters is sometimes limited," he said. "If there's wind, there are no planes and it takes hours, even days, for you to take control," he said. In recent days, 19 villages had to be evacuated in the Safranbolu region in the north, and more than 3,500 people around Bursa. A firefighter battling the flames died of a heart attack on Saturday evening. Three more people died Sunday in an accident involving a water tanker truck that was used to battle a blaze, the Bursa governorate announced. On Wednesday, a wildfire killed at least 10 forest workers and rescuers who were battling a blaze near Eskisehir in western Turkey.
News24
2 days ago
- Climate
- News24
Turkey battles wildfires amid strong winds, heatwave
Firefighters were battling several blazes across Turkey on Monday when the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, officials said. Wildfires across Turkey over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths. Nineteen villages and more than 3 500 people have been evacuated from their homes. Turkey is experiencing a heatwave that peaked with temperatures above 40°C across much of the country last week and even reached a record high of 50.5°C on Friday in the far southeast, in Silopi, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Firefighters are currently battling blazes around the city of Bursa in the northwest, the Karabuk region in the north and the Kahramanmaras region in the south. "Five fires have been brought under control in four provinces," said Agriculture and Forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli. But he said the efforts were hampered by strong winds that are fanning the flames. "Given the size and intensity of the fires, the state's ability to respond quickly to such disasters is sometimes limited," he said. "If there's wind, there are no planes and it takes hours, even days, for you to take control," he said. In recent days, 19 villages had to be evacuated in the Safranbolu region in the north, and more than 3 500 people around Bursa. A firefighter battling the flames died of a heart attack on Saturday evening. Three more people died Sunday in an accident involving a water tanker truck that was used to battle a blaze, the Bursa governorate announced. On Wednesday, a wildfire killed at least 10 forest workers and rescuers who were battling a blaze near Eskisehir in western Turkey.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Turkey evacuates thousands as firefighters battle wildfires
ANKARA, July 27 (Reuters) - Firefighters battled wildfires across Turkey on Sunday amid a searing Mediterranean heat-wave, with authorities evacuating more than 3,600 people from settlements in two provinces. Wildfires in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya as well as the central province of Usak were largely brought under control, but blazes in the northwestern province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabuk were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters. A wildfire broke out in a forested area between the Gursu and Kestel districts of Bursa, home to much of Turkey's auto industry, on Saturday. Part of a highway connecting Istanbul with the western city of Izmir was briefly closed on Saturday night due to the fire. Huge flames engulfed trees in areas close to homes in Bursa as smoke covered the sky over the city, footage showed. Some 1,765 people in Bursa's Kestel district were evacuated, Yumakli said, adding that 2,000 firefighters were struggling to battle the wildfire in the area with the help of six firefighting planes and four helicopters. In the northern province of Karabuk, where a large wildfire has been burning for five days, 1,839 people in 19 villages were evacuated, Yumakli said. Three planes and 16 helicopters are tackling the blazes in the area amid difficult conditions, he added. "We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days," Yumakli said, referring to the heat-wave. Temperatures in several regions in Turkey were forecast to reach over 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 6 to 12 degrees above seasonal norms, Turkey's meteorological service said, as thermometers hit 50 degrees Celsius in the country's southeast on Saturday for the first time in recorded history.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Climate
- Fox News
1,700 evacuated, firefighter dead as Turkey wildfires tear through major city
Wildfires that have harassed Turkey for weeks are now threatening the country's fourth-largest city on Sunday, forcing 1,700 evacuations and leaving another firefighter dead. Fires surround the city of Bursa in Turkey's northwest, with the government saying it has evacuated 1,765 people and deployed roughly 1,900 firefighters to combat the blaze. The conflagration has so far scorched over 7,000 acres and claimed the life of at least one firefighter, who had a heart attack on the scene. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said fire crews across the country confronted 84 separate blazes Saturday. The country's northwest was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday, he said. The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of 122.9 degrees Fahrenheit in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. Fourteen people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkey. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and that legal action had been taken against 97 suspects. The blazes have threatened to cross borders into Turkey's neighboring countries of Greece and Bulgaria. Bulgaria's National Fire Service chief Alexander Djartov said they have enlisted the help of European Union partners to combat the fires. He said aircraft were expected from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Hungary and Sweden later Sunday. Turkey says it has used the military to reinforce beleaguered firefighters in many areas.
