Wildfires hit western Turkey; over 20 injured and thousands evacuated

Istanbul [Turkey], August 18: Wildfires across western Turkey, the worst so far this year, injured 21 people and forced around 4,000 residents to evacuate, the authorities said on Saturday.
Flares continued in five cities and provinces, including the country's third-largest city Izmir, state broadcaster TRT reported. It showed images of a thick grey smoke over a forested land in Izmir's neighbouring Aegean province of Manisa.
Flames in Izmir, ongoing for two days, injured 21 people, Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay announced on X. None are badly injured, he added. The wounded, including six firefighters and one police officer, are currently receiving treatment, Tugay said.
There is no immediate threat of the wildfire in Izmir's Karsiyaka district to spread to residential centres, he added.
A total of 3,971 residents in four Western provinces, including Izmir, were evacuated to safety, the country's disaster authority separately announced on X on Saturday.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Saturday that 1,430 people in Izmir were taken to safety, 1,475 in Manisa, 516 in Bolu and 550 in Aydin, after a total of 131 wildfires broke out on agricultural and forested land in these cities over the past week.
Late Friday in Izmir, flames from a wildfire reached an apartment complex and industrial area, causing panic, state broadcaster TRT reported.
Overnight, 17 residential homes were burned, 105 houses and 44 workplaces were evacuated in Izmir, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters in Izmir early on Saturday.
So far, the fire damaged 1,600 hectares of land in Izmir, Minister Yumakli added.
Meanwhile six people were detained over suspected sabotage relating to the wildfires, two of them in Izmir and four in the north-western city of Bolu, Yumakli added.
"Currently, two planes and 11 helicopters are continuing to intervene," Yumakli said, according to the AFP news agency.
The cause of the blazes was not immediately clear.
About 1,600 hectares (3,950 acres) have been affected, the minister added. Six people have been detained over suspected sabotage relating to the wildfires, two of them in Izmir and four in the northwestern city of Bolu, according to Yumakli.
Turkey has been struggling with a heatwave through the summer, making wildfires more likely across the country.
The authorities remain on alert until mid-September due to unexpected weather conditions.
Wildfires are common in Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months.
Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, heatwaves this year have also caused wildfires. At least one person died after Greece's worst wildfires this year broke out on the outskirts of the capital, Athens, in recent days.
Experts say climate change is driving extreme weather events around the world, including wildfires and floods.
Source: Qatar Tribune