Firefighters were battling a huge forest fire in the Turkish Aegean city of Izmir for a third day on Saturday, and hundreds of people were evacuated overnight, AFP correspondents reported.
AFP journalists in the northern suburb of Ornekoye saw the charred remains of several buildings and vehicles in the industrial area, as smoke rose into the sky.
“We don’t know what to do. Our workplace is located in the middle of the fire. We have lost our livelihood,” said Hanif Erbil, 48, who makes a living by collecting paper and plastic waste.
The pine trees growing on the surrounding hills also got burnt.
“It was a very beautiful route, there was the smell of pine trees everywhere. Seeing this makes me feel like crying,” taxi driver Ayhan said.
An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, told AFP by telephone that the smell of smoke was spreading in the city, which is Turkey’s third most populous city.
Firefighters from other Turkish cities have been sent to assist and the army has also been deployed.
“Everyone is working hard. I’m on my 36th hour of service. We can say the fire is partially under control,” said Izmir firefighter Argin Erol.
The fire broke out on Thursday and quickly spread to residential areas due to winds blowing at 50 kilometres per hour.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 900 residents were evacuated overnight from five affected districts in Izmir.
The Turkish Health Ministry reported that the fire damaged 16 buildings and affected 78 people, 29 of whom were hospitalised.
Wild animals, cats and dogs died in the fire but no human casualties have been reported yet.
“At the moment two planes and 11 helicopters are working non-stop,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said. Earlier, the helicopters and water bombers were forced to land because of strong winds.
He said that the residents of the city should not be worried.
The minister said about 1,600 hectares (3,900 acres) of land had been affected. He said challenging geographical conditions were making it difficult to douse the fire at its source.
Six other fires are still raging in forest areas around other cities in Turkey, including Bolu in northwestern Turkey and Aydin in the west.
In June, a fire in Mardin, southeastern Turkey, killed 15 people.
Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events such as heat waves more likely, longer lasting and more intense, increasing the risk of wildfires.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
