Firefighters were for a third day on Saturday battling a forest fire in Turkey’s Aegean city of Izmir, a day after hundreds of local people in nearby villages had to be evacuated.
Firefighters said they had partially beaten back the flames that have been threatening the port city over the past three days, although fires were still burning in the nearby forests.
In the northern suburb of Ornekkoy, Agence France-Presse journalists saw the charred remains of several buildings and vehicles in an industrial zone, while gray smoke billowed into the sky.
Photo: AFP
“We don’t know what to do. Our workplace is located in the middle of the fire. We have lost our livelihood,” said 48-year-old Hanife Erbil, who earns a living collecting paper and plastic waste.
The pine trees that once crowned the surrounding hills were also burned.
“It was such a beautiful route, it smelled of pine trees everywhere. It makes me want to cry,” taxi driver Ayhan said.
The smell of smoke was hanging over the city, the third most-populated in Turkey.
Firefighters from other Turkish cities have been sent as reinforcements and the army has been mobilized.
“Everyone is working hard. I’m on my 36th hour of service. We can say the fire is partially under control,” Izmir firefighter Arjin Erol said.
The fire started on Thursday and spread quickly to residential areas due to winds blowing at 50kph.
Turkish Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya said 900 residents in five affected districts had been evacuated on Friday night in Izmir.
On Saturday, those villages remained empty for security reasons, except for a handful of volunteers who left food and water for animals living in the forest. Wild animals, cats and dogs died in the fire, but no human victim has yet been reported.
The fire damaged 16 buildings and affected 78 people, with 29 of them admitted to hospital, the Turkish Ministry of Health said.
“Currently, two planes and eleven helicopters are continuing to intervene,” Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli said, after strong winds had earlier grounded the helicopters and water bombers.
Residents of the city should not be worried, he added.
About 1,600 hectares have been affected, Yumakli said, adding that the challenging terrain was making it difficult to put out the fire at its origin.
Five other fires continue to rage in forest areas in other cities in Turkey, including northwestern Bolu and Aydin in the west.
New fires broke out again in Izmir late on Saturday engulfing several districts including Bayindir and the popular holiday resort of Cesme, Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay wrote on social media.
The authorities have controlled the fire in Cesme, which lies across the Greek island of Chios, he said.
Officials said seven people were detained in Izmir over alleged links to the fire.
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