The Turkish government on Saturday said the devastating fires in the western province of Izmir were under control as firefighting efforts continued in the southeastern province of Hatay.
Emergency services in Hatay worked through the night to extinguish a fire that broke out on Friday afternoon in a forest in Dörtyol, the Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. The fire was spreading rapidly in the dry forests due to strong winds.
Since the morning, helicopters have been back in action, AA reported. Helicopters and firefighting planes usually operate only during daylight.
The governor of Hatay province said that so far, nine areas of grazing land and almost 2,000 people had been evacuated. A residential home for girls had been repurposed as an emergency shelter.
Weather conditions and the topography of the mountainous area were complicating the firefighting efforts of more than 1,000 emergency personnel.
In recent days, hundreds of fires have broken out in Türkiye, of which 10 have been large forest fires according to Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı. The province of İzmir has been particularly hard hit.
On Thursday, two people died in the fires there: an 81-year-old bedridden man who burnt to death in his house and a forestry worker who died while fighting the fires.
On Saturday, the forestry minister announced on X that another forestry worker had succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
In addition to several hectares of burned forest and bushes, three villages have burned down, the city of İzmir's mayor, Cemil Tugay, said.
Thousands of animals were also killed in the fires. The animal protection organization Haytap is treating injured dogs, cats or goats in tent clinics in İzmir.
