Turkey wildfires: At least 14 people including a firefighter killed in fires caused by record 50C heatwave as firefighters continue to try to control blaze
Wildfires which are raging through Turkey have killed at least 14 people including a firefighter - and the blaze is continuing to spread while temperatures rise further.
More than 1,500 people have fled their homes and one firefighter has died as fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa, the country’s fourth-largest city, have spread rapidly overnight (Saturday July 26).
Flames have now burned through 3,000 hectares around the city and more than 1,100 firefighters have been battling the blaze. The highway linking the city to the capital, Ankara, was closed as forests surrounding burned.
A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city's mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said in a statement. The governor’s office stated on Sunday (July 27) that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the north east.
By this morning (Sunday July 27), the wind speed in the area had dropped, bringing some respite to firefighters who are continuing to try to bring the blaze under control. Local TV footage showed a barren landscape in areas which have been alight, where farms and pine forests had once stood.
At least14 people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers who were killed on Wednesday (July 23) in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkey.
Unseasonably high temperatures of a record 50C, dry conditions and strong winds have fuelled the flames that has led to dozens of severe wildfires hitting the country daily since late June. This led to the local government declaring two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster areas on Friday (July 25).
Turkey’s minister of agriculture and forestry İbrahim Yumaklı said fire crews across the country tackled 76 separate blazes on Saturday, including 28 which were in forests and 48 in rural areas. He added that the country's north west area was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday (July 22).
Mr Yumaklı also said Turkey broken an all-time temperature record on Friday of 50.5C in the southeastern Sirnak. Information published by the country’s General Directorate of Meteorology suggested that temperatures would still rise by another 10 degrees, starting yesterday. Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 44C (111.2F) today.
Minister Yumaklı also shared a message to local residents, telling them that the best way to extinguish fires is to prevent them in the first place. "As the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, we are on the ground fighting forest fires with our planes, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky, our forest heroes on duty 24/7 on the ground, our land vehicles, AFAD, the provincial governor's office, local governments, and non-governmental organizations, he said.
“We are ready, but the best way to extinguish fires—cost-free, problem-free, and without paying any price—is to prevent them from starting."