On Sunday, firefighters fought with forest fires throughout Turkey, in the midst of the hot Mediterranean wave of heat, while the local authorities evacuated more than 3600 people from settlements in two provinces. TASR reports this according to Reuters news agency.
Fires in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya as well as in the central province of USAK were largely under control, but Fires in the northwest province of Bursa and the northern province of Karabük still persist, He told reporters Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli.
In the forested area between the districts of Gürs and Kestel In the Bursa region, where a large part of the Turkish automotive industry is based, a forest fire broke out on Saturday. Part of the highway connecting Istanbul with the Western European city of Izmir was therefore briefly closed on Saturday evening.
The shots showed how huge flames absorb trees in areas near houses in Bursa. According to Yumakli, approximately 1765 people were evacuated in the Kestel district. He added that 2000 firefighters fighting a fire in this area with the help of six firefighters and four helicopters.
In the northern province of Karabük, where a large forest fire has been burning for five days, 1839 people from 19 villages were evacuated, said Yumakli. Three aircraft and 16 helicopters struggle with fires in this area under demanding conditions, he added. “We are experiencing a risk period. It does not seem to end in two or three days,” said Yumakli with reference to the wave of heat.
The Turkish Meteorological Service announced that Temperatures in several regions of Turkey should reach more than 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, six to 12 degrees more than the seasonal average. On Saturday, the thermometers in the southeast of the country recorded 50 degrees Celsius for the first time in history.
