Villages evacuated as wildfire spreads to 1,500 hectares

ÇANAKKALE

Around 1,200 people from nine villages and a university campus have been evacuated as a wildfire that broke out on Aug. 22 in the northwestern province of Çanakkale has spread across a wide area due to the influence of the wind.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı on Aug. 23 stated that firefighting teams backed by more than two dozen fire-dousing planes and helicopters largely prevented the blaze from spreading beyond the 1,500 hectares it has affected so far.

Yumaklı reported no loss of life or serious injuries, citing that a total of nine houses in two villages were reduced to ashes.

According to preliminary estimates, about 800 of the 1,500 hectares of land are forested, local authorities said.

Improved weather conditions and reduced wind speed on Aug. 23 provided a more advantageous situation for firefighting efforts, Yumaklı said.

The minister also noted that the Çanakkale Strait was closed to traffic on both sides to allow firefighting planes to take water from the sea.

The fire, which began on Aug. 22 noon and continued throughout the night, posed challenges to the firefighting teams due to the speed of the winds reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour.

While four night vision helicopters continued to intervene in the fire, other helicopters were mobilized to intervene as the weather brightened in the morning.

Following intensive efforts by the teams, the flames in the forest near Mehmet Akif State Hospital were extinguished, preventing the fire from spreading to the hospital and residential areas.

The hospital also announced the controlled temporary closure of the natural gas pipeline as a precaution against potential explosions or overheating.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca stated that the forest fire in Çanakkale affected a total of 83 people, with 14 being treated by ambulances at the scene and 48 others taken to hospitals.

The ministry dispatched 74 ambulances and four search and rescue vehicles to the scene, Koca added.

The blaze also closed a local university campus, the authorities announced.

"Currently, the flames haven't reached the campus, but evacuation efforts have been carried out. Technical teams are present on campus. Since the dormitories were evacuated, students have been relocated to other dormitories and hotels in the city," said Cüneyt Erenoğlu, the rector of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.

Regarding the transportation situation in the region, the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry announced the closure of a major road due to significantly reduced visibility caused by the fire.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also shared on social media that approximately 2,700 personnel were involved in the firefighting efforts.