Izmir

Three have died as blaze continues to rage in southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province, which borders Syria.

A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir has died from his injuries, raising the death toll in recent days from the fires to three, as the blaze in villages of the Odemis district was brought under control but emergency crews continued to battle one in a province bordering Syria.

Worker Ragip Sahin “who was injured while fighting the fire in Odemis and was being treated in hospital, has died”, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Saturday in a post on X. Yumakli also said the blaze in Odemis had been brought under control by Friday evening alongside six other wildfires, mostly in western and central Turkiye.

He added that firefighters were still trying to control a blaze in the southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province.

Turkiye was mostly spared the recent searing heatwaves that engulfed the rest of southern Europe, but firefighters have battled more than 600 fires since June 26 in the drought-hit nation, which have been prompted by high winds.

The fire in Odemis, about 100km (60 miles) east of the resort city of Izmir, had on Thursday killed a bedridden 81-year-old man and a backhoe operator who died while helping firefighting efforts.

In a video on X, Odemis Mayor Mustafa Turan said the fire had ravaged about 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of land. “The fire came violently to this area, there is nothing left to burn. About 5,000 hectares was reduced to ashes,” said Turan.

On Monday, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people to escape a string of fires.

“According to the authorities, the fires that lasted for four days started in Tusurman village … you can still see smoke coming out from this evacuated village,” said Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Odemis.

“Nothing is left in this village, no one is living here and there is nothing left to reside in. After the fires erupted due to electrical cables in this village, it quickly spread to the nearby villages on this side and then to other villages. Just on the first night [of the wildfires], authorities had to evacuate five villages,” she added.

“For citizens of Turkiye living in the valleys and forests, life is becoming more difficult every year as climate change brings more wildfires. And this year, wildfires came earlier than expected to Turkiye,” said Koseoglu.

Turkiye sends help to Syria

In the meantime, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday.

Turkiye also sent two firefighting aircraft on Saturday to help neighbouring Syria battle wildfires in its northwest Latakia region.

Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to Raed al-Saleh, the Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management.

Turkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects have been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 96 wildfires in Turkiye this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land.

Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkiye to take measures to tackle the problem.

Firefighters are battling wildfires for the second day in Turkiye’s western province of Izmir, according to local authorities and media reports.

The blaze in Kuyucak and Doganbey areas of Izmir was fanned overnight by winds reaching 40-50kmph (25-30mph), and four villages and two neighbourhoods had been evacuated, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Monday.

Helicopters, fire-extinguishing aircraft and other vehicles, and more than 1,000 people were trying to extinguish the fires, he told reporters in Izmir.

Turkiye’s coastal regions have been ravaged by wildfires in recent years as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists relate to climate change.

Izmir’s airport suspends flights, and authorities evacuate residents as strong winds fan blaze in the western province.

Turkiye has evacuated four villages and two neighbourhoods in its western province of Izmir as firefighters battle wildfires for the second day, according to local authorities.

Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Monday that the blaze was fanned overnight by winds reaching 40-50kmph (25-30mph) in Kuyucak and Doganbey areas of Izmir.

Helicopters, fire-extinguishing aircraft and other vehicles, and more than 1,000 people were trying to extinguish the fires, Yumakli told reporters in Izmir.

Operations at Izmir Adnan Menderes airport were suspended due to the fire, Turkish media reported.

Media footage showed teams using tractors with water trailers and helicopters carrying water, as smoke billowed over hills marked with charred trees.

Earlier, strong winds grounded the helicopters, leaving two water-bombing aircraft and a large ground crew struggling to battle the flames.

The first fire broke out on Sunday between the districts of Seferihisar and Menderes in Izmir, spreading swiftly due to winds of up to 117kmph (75mph), according to Governor Suleyman Elban.

Five neighbourhoods in Seferihisar have been evacuated as the fire approaches residential areas, the governor added.

Residents in the village of Urkmez were forced to cut trees to create firebreaks and protect their homes, a witness told the AFP news agency over the phone.

A separate blaze ignited at a landfill in Gaziemir, 13km (8 miles) from central Izmir, spreading to nearby woodland and threatening the Otokent industrial zone, home to several car dealerships.

One dealership was seen ablaze in footage broadcast by Turkish channel NTV.

Turkiye’s coastal regions have in recent years been ravaged by wildfires, as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists relate to climate change. Last year, the same area in Izmir was also hit by a massive wildfire.

Elsewhere

Across Southern Europe, firefighters were also mobilised as people sought shelter from the punishing temperatures of a heatwave that is set to intensify in the coming days.

In France, wildfires broke out in the Corbieres area of Aude in the southwest, where temperatures topped 40C (104F), forcing the evacuation of a campsite and abbey as a precaution.

Last week, Greek firefighters had to battle a forest blaze on the coast south of Athens that forced some evacuations.

Several areas in the southern half of Portugal, including Lisbon, were also under a red warning until Monday night, said the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere.