ANKARA, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Firefighters were working to control wildfires across five Turkish provinces on Saturday, according to the Forestry Minister. The blaze in the western Izmir region, which began on Thursday, had subsided somewhat, and residential areas were no longer considered at risk.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli reported that the fire in Izmir's Karsiyaka district was started by a campfire set by three individuals picnicking near a forest area. Authorities are nearing identification of these individuals, Yumakli added.
Yumakli reported, "The fire's intensity has decreased, and there is currently no risk to residential areas." He noted that the blaze was burning in a valley difficult to access by land.
Fanned by strong winds, the fire came dangerously close to residential areas on Friday, causing damage to homes and businesses and leading to evacuations. Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay stated on social media platform X that 16 homes and 30 businesses in an industrial site were destroyed. Additionally, the Health Ministry announced that 78 people had been affected by the fire.
Footage showed helicopters and planes continuing to drop water on the flames while firefighters worked to contain the blaze from the ground.
Forestry Minister Yumakli also reported that efforts to control wildfires are underway in the western provinces of Aydin and Manisa, as well as the northern provinces of Bolu and Karabuk.
The General Directorate of Forestry has issued a warning about a high risk of wildfires across 12 provinces in northern and western Turkey over the next 10 days due to elevated temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds. In recent years, Turkey's coastal regions have been particularly hard-hit by wildfires, with increasingly hot and dry summers linked to climate change.
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