Hundreds more people were evacuated throughout the course of the previous night as firefighters battled a fierce forest fire in the Aegean resort city of Izmir for a third day, according to Turkish media and officials on Saturday.
Strong winds forced helicopters and water bombers to land, but they continued to battle the fire on Saturday morning, according to the NTV news channel.
Winds gusting at fifty kilometers per hour caused the fire to quickly spread to residential areas when it broke out on Thursday.
According to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, 900 people in five damaged Izmir neighborhoods were evacuated over night.
The third most populous city in Turkiye, the thick smoke had turned the sky grey, according to a witness who spoke to AFP. The stench of smoke lingered over the city.
Ibrahim Yumakli, the minister of agriculture and forestry, stated that “two planes and eleven helicopters are currently continuing to intervene” and that “worried” city dwellers should not be concerned.
According to the ministry, about 1,600 hectares (3,900 acres) have been impacted.
In other Turkish cities, such as Bolu in the northwest and Aydin in the west, six other fires are still raging in forested areas.
According to scientists, climate change increases the likelihood, duration, and intensity of extreme weather events like heatwaves.
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