İzmir forest fire kills three people

IZMIR

Firefighters reached the bodies of three people on July 15 while battling a raging forest fire in the western province of İzmir’s Çeşme district.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire that erupted as of midday on July 15, while deployed teams fought the blaze for hours.

Due to the wind's influence, the fire rapidly spread, prompting precautionary evacuations of some houses in the approaching area.

A woman and two children, stranded in the vicinity threatened by the advancing fire, were safely evacuated by gendarmerie units.

Local media reported that efforts to bring the blaze under control have shown signs of improvement.

Following containment of the fire's rapid spread, residents reported three individuals missing, prompting search operations.

Immediately upon the fire's outbreak, two families, upon noticing the encroaching flames, split into two groups in an attempt to flee.

One group was rescued by emergency teams, while the bodies of a man, a woman and a child were later discovered.

Throughout the day, teams also conducted operations to extinguish forest fires in the western provinces of Manisa and Çanakkale.