Turkish firefighters bring wildfires in control, says minister

ANKARA: Firefighters in Turkiye have brought under control two large forest fires that had been burning for three days, with several other wildfires across the country expected to be put out soon, the Forestry Minister said on Sunday.

The blazes in Turkiye’s western coastal province of Izmir and northern province of Bolu started late on Thursday and firefighters have been working to contain them since then.

Speaking in Izmir’s Karsiyaka district, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said cooling efforts were under way to fully extinguish the fires. A small fire that started in Izmir’s Urla district on Saturday was also under control, he said.

More forest fires in Izmir’s Menderes district and in the western provinces of Aydin, Manisa and Usak as well as the northern province of Karabuk were still burning. Planes, helicopters and other vehicles had been brought in to douse the flames and all were “close to being contained”.

Turkish authorities warned of a high risk of further wildfires in northern and western Turkiye for the next couple of days due to high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

Several parts of Turkiye, especially its coastal regions, have been ravaged by wildfires in recent years as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists attribute to climate change.