500 hectares of forest land reduced to ash, two villages evacuated on 2nd day of huge fire in Turkey’s west

MANİSA – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

At least 500 hectares of forest land was reduced to ash due to a fire which started in the Bayındır district of the Aegean province of İzmir on July 25, an official from General Directorate of Forestry said.

Mehmet Zeki Temur, Deputy Chief of General Directorate of Forestry said the fire has not yet been taken under control, remarking that intense work is still ongoing to extinguish the flames.

Temur also stated no casualties or injuries were reported.

“The place where the fire was the most effective was around the Kerpiçli neighborhood. There is no loss of life in the fire. At the entrance of all the neighborhoods, our teams are ready for intervention. Today, we plan to have the fire under control with quick intervention. We have utilized 150 sprinklers, eight helicopters, four fire planes and about 18 bulldozers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the fire that had been ongoing for 40 hours reached Manisa’s Turgutlu district due to strong winds despite the fire crew’s intense work on the ground and in the air. 

Locals of Turgutlu’s Karaköy and Kabaçınar villages were evacuated as part of precautionary measurements. 

Some elders, women and children who were evacuated from their homes, have been replaced in some dormitories in the district by officials from Turgutlu District Governorate. 

Moreover, some locals also participated in extinguishing the fire.  
   
Air support to battle the flames was suspended after dark but started again at the first light of the morning.

Helicopters and amphibian airplanes carried water from the Ergenli Dam and Gölmarmara Lake to extinguish the fire.

The fire erupted due to unknown reasons over at least 250 hectares of forest lands and woodlands in İzmir on July 25. 

Meanwhile, another fire erupted in a village of the northern province of Çankırı on July 26.

The fire that started in Çankırı’s Yapraklı district completely burned at least 30 houses and stables, deputy of Yapraklı’s District Governorate Sercan Yılmaz said.

Yılmaz also said the fire ignited from an abandoned house and spread all over the village in a short time.  

An official from the disaster management agency AFAD stated that 18 tents were erected for villagers who lost their houses due to fire. 

A total of 147 forest fires, which have destroyed 673 hectares of land across Turkey between July 1 and 4 amid sweltering temperatures, have been brought under control, the Forestry and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu said on July 4, as he urged citizens to properly clean up their areas after picnicking in the forest.