Türkiye is battling an intense wildfire season, with over 1,450 blazes recorded since June 1, causing widespread evacuations, property damage, and the temporary closure of İzmir’s Adnan Menderes Airport.

Fueled by dry weather and strong winds, the fires have strained firefighting resources, with authorities on high alert as the crisis extends into July.

In northwestern Sakarya, a fire sparked on June 27 spread rapidly into Bilecik province, driven by strong winds. Thirteen villages—two in Sakarya and 11 in Bilecik—were evacuated, and several homes were destroyed. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç reported that 1,081 inmates from Bilecik’s Gölpazarı open prison were relocated to nearby facilities as a precaution. Rainfall on June 28 eased the blaze, which was largely contained by June 29 through coordinated efforts involving aircraft, helicopters, and ground crews.

In Manisa’s Akhisar district, a fire that broke out on June 28 spread quickly, prompting the evacuation of multiple neighborhoods. Firefighting teams from İzmir’s Regional Forestry Directorate brought the blaze largely under control by June 29, but strong winds reignited hotspots. Authorities arrested a local beekeeper suspected of starting the fire, who has since been imprisoned.

İzmir’s Menderes district remains a critical hotspot, with a major fire erupting on June 29 in a forest and spreading to residential zones. Five neighborhoods were evacuated, with homes and vehicles damaged. İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban reported that 1,113 personnel, 122 fire trucks, 74 water tankers, and 84 heavy machines were deployed, though winds reaching 120 km/h grounded aerial operations. Three residents were treated for smoke inhalation, with no fatalities reported. Investigators believe power lines may have sparked the fire.

In İzmir’s Gaziemir district, the fire forced the closure of Adnan Menderes Airport at 4:00 p.m. on June 29, halting all flights. Some planes were diverted, and operations resumed after 9:50 p.m., though cancellations disrupted flights to Istanbul, Dublin, and London Stansted.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı reported 77 fires nationwide on June 29, nine of them major, with Manisa Akhisar and İzmir’s Kuyucak and Doğanbey districts among the most severe. Since June 1, Türkiye has tackled 1,459 fires—569 in forests and 890 in rural or urban areas. Causes include 258 cases of stubble burning, 126 from cigarette butts, and four from fireworks. Yumaklı noted that two firefighting aircraft narrowly avoided crashes in İzmir due to extreme winds.

Justice Minister Tunç announced the detention of 17 suspects linked to fires between June 26 and 28, including one in İzmir’s Buca district accused of starting a fire with gasoline, now facing charges of “intentionally causing a forest fire.”

Yumaklı urged the public to avoid lighting fires in dry conditions, emphasizing the strain on firefighting resources. As scorching temperatures and strong winds are forecast to persist, Türkiye remains on high alert, with emergency crews bracing for further challenges in one of the country’s most severe wildfire seasons in recent memory. (ILKHA)