Turkey’s Izmir forest fire ‘under control’: Minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -  Wildfires in Turkey’s western province of Izmir were largely brought under control with no reported deaths, authorities said on Sunday.

“There is no risk in the section overlooking the city. Firefighters have trapped the fire in a valley," Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters. “Thank God, this fire in the Yamanlar area of Izmir is now under control.”

Yumakli added that efforts continue to combat the blaze; however, the majority of the flames have been contained.

The fire started on Thursday in the Yamanlar Mountain in Izmir’s Karsiyaka district, quickly spreading to residential and industrial areas. Several neighborhoods were evacuated. 

A total of 900 people had been evacuated from their homes in five neighborhoods, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X on Saturday. 

Turkish Urbanization and Environment Minister Murat Kurum said on X that of the 52 buildings inspected by the ministry in Karsiyaka, 43 were damaged due to the blaze.

No deaths were reported, but 26 people have been injured and hospitalized, according to Kurum.

The defense ministry announced that several teams of firefighters were dispatched to the city, and nine helicopters were mobilized to provide aerial support.

Turkey has been hit with a flurry of wildfires over the past few days. Fahrettin Altun, head of communications for the Turkish presidency, said late Friday on X that a total of 72 fires broke out across the country, 45 of which were brought under control.

On Thursday, a fire in the country’s northwestern Canakkale province destroyed around 700 hectares (7 square-kilometers) of forests, but the fire was brought under control on Friday, according to Yumakli, the forestry minister.

As of Sunday, five more active forest fires were reported across the country.

Summer wildfires are commonplace in Turkey. The blazes destroyed close to 7,000 hectares (70 square-kilometers) of forests in 2023 and more than 8,100 hectares in 2022.

The largest wildfire in Turkey’s history, known as the Manavgat Wildfire, started in July 2021 and lasted for more than two weeks.