More than 1,700 people fled their homes in Turkiye as a result of wildfires that have engulfed the nation’s fourth-largest city for weeks, killing one firefighter and causing one fatality in Turkiye.
Over the course of one day, a red glow appeared over Bursa in northwest Turkiye as a result of overnight fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa.
Since late June, the government has declared disaster areas for two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, on Friday after dozens of severe wildfires have already impacted the nation.
More than 1, 900 firefighters battled the flames, according to a statement released by the Bursa governor’s office on Sunday, and 1, 765 people were safely evacuated from northeastern villages. 500 rescuers were also on the ground, according to authorities.
As nearby forests burned, the highway that connects Bursa to Ankara, the capital, was shut.
According to Mustafa Bozbey, the city’s mayor, 3, 000 hectares (7, 413 acres) had been scorched by the flames that had been causing a heart attack on the job.
The scene was described as “an apocalypse,” according to provincial opposition parliamentarian Orhan Saribal.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli reported on Saturday that fire crews from different provinces battled 84 different fires. He claimed that Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday, is in danger of the most harm to the northwest of the nation.
The wildfires are being fueled by unusually high temperatures, dry weather, and strong winds.
The southeast of Sirnak province, according to the General Directorate of Meteorology, on Friday, Turkiye recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5% (122.9% Fahrenheit). According to the report, 132 other locations reported the summertime temperatures.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the previous national record was set on August 15, 2023 in Saricakaya, Eskisehir, at 49.5C (121.1F).
Ten rescue volunteers and forest workers were killed on Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Turkiye, in addition to the 14 people who have recently died.
Source: Aljazeera
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