Western Turkey wildfires continued raging for a 3rd day, worsened by windy and dry weather

Wildfires raged across western Turkey for a third straight day Saturday, exacerbated by high winds and warm temperatures, authorities said.

More than 130 fires have erupted across the country in the past week, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate. Most have been brought under control, but eight major fires continued in the provinces of Izmir, Aydin, Manisa, Karabuk and Bolu.

Thousands of firefighters were tackling the blazes on land and from the air, with dozens of aircraft and hundreds of vehicles aiding in the emergency response.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the affected areas, but there have been no reported casualties, according to Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, who spoke to reporters Saturday as he toured the affected provinces.

Yumakli cited low humidity, high winds and high temperatures as exacerbating factors. The General Directorate of Forestry warned people not to light fires outside for the next 10 days because of the weather conditions across western Turkey, warning of a 70% greater risk of wildfires.

Meanwhile, authorities detained four people in Bolu in connection with the fires, two of whom were arrested and two released.

In June, a fire spread through settlements in southeast Turkey, killing 11 people and leaving dozens of others requiring medical treatment.

In 2021, tourists in Turkey hurried to the seashore to wait for rescue boats after being told to evacuate some hotels in the Aegean Sea resort of Bodrum due to the dangers posed by nearby wildfires, Turkish media reported. Coast guard units led the operation and authorities asked private boats and yachts to assist in evacuation efforts from the sea as new wildfires erupted.

Months later, in August of 2021, thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece and Turkey as a protracted heat wave turned forests into tinderboxes and flames threatened populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the flames in a televised address, saying the wildfires display “the reality of climate change.”