Hundreds evacuated as forest fire rages in Turkiye

Firefighters are battling a strong forest fire in the Aegean resort city of Izmir for a third day, Turkish media and officials said Saturday, with hundreds more people evacuated overnight.

Helicopters and water bombers which were grounded due to strong winds continued their fight against the flames on Saturday morning, the NTV news channel reported.

The fire started Thursday and was quickly spread to residential areas by winds blowing at 50 kilometers an hour.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that 900 residents in five affected districts were evacuated overnight in Izmir.

A witness told AFP that thick smoke had turned the sky grey, with the smell of smoke hanging over the city, the third most-populated in Turkiye.

“Currently, two planes and eleven helicopters are continuing to intervene,” said Agriculture and Forestry Ministry Ibrahim Yumakli, saying that residents of the city should not be “worried.”

Around 1,600 hectares (3,900 acres) have been affected, the minister said.

Six other fires continue to rage in forest areas in other cities in Turkiye, including northwestern Bolu and Aydin in the west.

Scientists say climate change makes extreme weather events including heatwaves more likely, longer lasting and more intense.