Two fires continue to rage Thursday July 3 in the Turkish tourist province of Izmir, driven by a wind more than 85 kilometers per hour (km/h), which complicates the work of firefighters, according to local officials. In addition, a new home declared itself near the city of Antalya (south) threatening the popular seaside resort of Lara, but it is in the process of being under control, according to local authorities.
Two fires broke out on Wednesday evening on both sides of the city of Izmir, winning the forests around Ödemiz to the east, and, towards the west, near the seaside locality of çesme (80 km). At least five districts had to be evacuated and an octogenarian sick was found dead in his house in the Ödemiz district for lack of having been rescued, according to local media. The fire threatens the highway connecting the city of Izmir to çesme, and traffic has been interrupted.
“The fire is currently confined to the area where the highway is located. If we can turn it off, we will have defeated the forest fire and will be able to start cooling efforts ”explained the provincial governor of Izmir, Suleyman Elban. But “The main problem is the speed of the wind, which reaches up to 85 km/h, which means that the fire spreads very quickly” he stressed during a press briefing on the spot.
“The wind blows irregularly and constantly changes direction making the intervention from the air and on the ground very difficult because the fire spreads quickly and changes also quickly. »»
Images of the fire of çesme published online show the dark sky by immense clouds of smoke. “The fire of çesme is terrifying by its area and its magnitude”said the Orman Takip forest surveillance group on X.
A dozen planes and around thirty helicopters were mobilized as well as 1,100 fire trucks, assured the governor. The fire damaged electric and telephone cables, as well as several buildings, and many farm animals had to be sheltered. The governor of Izmir, Suleyman Elban, citing witnesses and technicians, said that the fire had been triggered by an electric cable in a dry agricultural area.
Hundreds of households have declared themselves since Friday evening in Türkiye under the effect of heat and drought, fuss by the wind. Fifty thousand people had to be evacuated Monday in the provinces of Izmir and Hatay, in southern Turkey.
The Minister of Turkish Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli, warned Tuesday evening against “Extreme heat conditions planned for the week” Accompanied by strong winds on the Aegean coast to the west of the country and the Mediterranean periphery.
Crete also plagued by flames
In addition, off Turkey, in the south-east of the Greek island of Crete, a fire triggered in brushs led to evacuations of inhabitants and tourists, local authorities announced on Thursday. Some 1,500 people were evacuated, according to local media, while the public television channel ERT evokes “More than a thousand” evacuations after the departure of fire occurring late Wednesday at the end of the day.
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They were ordered as a precaution due to the impossibility of deploying aerial resources during the night of Wednesday to Thursday, said the vice-prefect of Lassithi, Yannis Androulakis, on the MEGA television channel. “Right now, there are three active fronts. Due to strong winds, the fire has progressed fairly quickly in several places ”he also explained.
Some 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones fight against the flames, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, spokesperson for firefighters, during a press point. Athens reinforcements were sent on the spot.
Greece and Turkey, spared by heat waves that recently touched southern Europe, are faced with recurrent droughts under the effect of climate change, making them particularly vulnerable to fires each summer.
