‘Apocalypse’: Turkiye wildfires reach key northwest city as hundreds flee

Bursa governor’s office says 1,765 people have been evacuated as more than 1,900 firefighters battle the flames.

Wildfires that engulfed Turkiye for weeks surrounded the country’s fourth-largest city, causing more than 1,700 people to flee their homes and leaving one firefighter dead.

Fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa in northwest Turkiye spread rapidly overnight on Sunday, causing a red glow over the city.

Dozens of severe wildfires have hit the country since late June with the government declaring two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster areas on Friday.

Bursa governor’s office said in a statement on Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames. Authorities said 500 rescue workers were also on the ground.

The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned.

A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city’s mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said in a statement, adding the flames scorched 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) around the city.

Unusually high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires.

Yumakli said 2,000 firefighters are struggling to battle the wildfire in the area with the help of six firefighting planes and four helicopters.

“We are going through risky times. This does not seem likely to end in two or three days,” Yumakli said, referring to the heatwave.

The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkiye recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. The highest temperatures for July were seen in 132 other locations.

The previous national record was set on August 15, 2023 in Saricakaya, Eskisehir, at 49.5C (121.1F), Anadolu news agency reported.

At least 14 people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkiye.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late on Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and legal action had been taken against 97 suspects.