Türkiye's lungs are burning! New fires are breaking out, existing flames are spreading

Since June 1, 569 forest fires have broken out across Turkey, and the flames are burning unstoppable, especially in İzmir, Bilecik and Hatay. Making a statement regarding the fires, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, “More than 50 thousand of our citizens have been temporarily placed in safe areas.”

In areas where the fire risk is high, gendarmerie commandos are conducting patrols on a 24-hour basis. AFAD announced that all teams are on duty in the field and evacuation operations are continuing rapidly.

TWO FIRES MERGE IN GAZIEMIR: DISASTER STARTED WITH GASOLINE AND SPREAD TO THE FOREST

A fire that broke out as a result of burning waste at a facility in the Gaziemir district of Izmir quickly spread to the forest. The flames, which were combined with the fire started by a person named H.Ö. who set his house on fire by pouring gasoline in the same area, also affected the surrounding car showroom sites. While an investigation was launched regarding the person who was taken into custody, the local tradesmen suffered great material damage.

Car dealer Uğurcan Sırmalı said, "We ran to the workplace as soon as we heard the fire. There was chaos. Some people had accidents and even had heart attacks while escaping. It was like the apocalypse."

ELECTRICITY LINE STARTED FIRE IN ADANA

A fire broke out in the Boztahta Neighborhood of the Kozan district of Adana due to a high voltage power line that broke. The flames, which spread quickly due to the wind, were intervened from both air and land. Teams were mobilized to bring the fire under control.

AFAD: 60 MILLION TL EMERGENCY AID ALLOCATION SENT

In a statement made by AFAD, it was reported that a total of over 50 thousand citizens were evacuated from 41 settlements. According to the statement; 230 people were taken to safe zones in Sakarya, 609 in Bilecik, 2,936 in Manisa Akhisar, 42,300 in İzmir Seferihisar and 1,500 in Hatay.

AFAD announced that a total of 60 million TL Emergency Aid Grant was sent, 30 million TL each to the governorships of Bilecik and Izmir. It was announced that 162 thousand TL in cash aid will be given to families that do not request containers, and 72 thousand TL in cash aid will be given to those that request containers.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, in his statement regarding the fire in Hatay, said, "Our aircraft cannot intervene due to heavy winds." Minister Yumaklı, stating that teams are also working intensively in Akhisar, Manisa, said, "If the wind conditions are suitable, we hope to give positive news before the end of the day."

DANGER CONTINUES IN SEFERİHİSAR AND BOMDRUM

Minister Yumaklı reported that the fire in Seferihisar has still not been brought under control, while the fire in Bodrum, Muğla, started in a non-forest area and spread to the forest. Yumaklı stated that the highest capacity in the history of the Republic has been reached in terms of land and air power in firefighting, and emphasized that the real success is not to extinguish the fire, but to ensure that it never breaks out.

STATEMENT FROM MINISTER YUMAKLI

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Yumaklı made a statement to the press about the current situation in the fight against fires. Yumaklı made the following statements:

'THERE ARE 7 FIRES ONGOING'

"- We had given information from Manisa Akhisar at noon. We returned to Izmir and will give information about tonight from the coordination center. Our President made statements on the subject. We have brought 4 fires under control since the last statement. There are currently 7 ongoing fires. Two of them are in Manisa Kula and Ahmetli. There are currently ongoing fires in Seferihisar and Menderes."

"5 VILLAGES AND 2 NEIGHBORHOODS WERE EVACUATED"

"- There are also fires in Hatay Antakya and Adana Kozan. 4 planes, 14 helicopters, 106 water trucks, hundreds of construction equipment are fighting together. Since it is night, ground elements have stepped in. 5 villages and 2 neighborhoods have been evacuated. There are no citizens with any health problems among them. Strong winds continue to challenge us. We are fighting the flames at 8 different points in İzmir Menderes and Seferihisar. While giving information about the Akhisar fire, we were optimistic about getting results there, but a serious wind occurred that surprised us. It spread to a certain area. While we were thinking of continuing the fight and resolving it, we received fire reports from Kula and Ahmetli. 7 planes, 10 helicopters, 175 water trucks and construction equipment arrived. The intervention will continue here as well."

"- We dispatched 2 planes, 3 helicopters, 28 water tenders and 162 personnel to Kozan, Adana. Our friends said that it could be brought under control in the coming hours. The work has gone beyond fighting the forest fire. We are in a fighting spirit. We are fighting an enemy that does not tire and has the wind at its back and is really trying to thwart the interventions made against it. We will win this war. I trust my forest hero friends. I have no doubt that my friends, some of whom fought fires for weeks in a row and almost every day last week, will win this one too. Let's be careful as a nation and not cause new fires."

FLAMES SPREAD TO ANOTHER VILLAGE IN MANISA

The fire that broke out in Akhisar district of Manisa on June 28 continues on its third day. The fire, which spread rapidly due to strong winds, spread to Şehitler Village after Durasıl Village. The Regional Forestry Directorate and firefighting teams continue to intervene from the ground to prevent the fire from reaching the lower parts of the forest.

Under the influence of the wind, the fire spread between the Karaköy and Hasköy neighborhoods and from there towards the Durasıl Village area.

The fire, which spread between the Karaköy and Hasköy neighborhoods, was fought with 3 planes, 5 helicopters, 43 water trucks, 15 fire trucks, 42 water tankers and 31 construction equipment during the day, but air interventions were suspended when the weather got dark.

FIRE GROWS IN ADANA

The fire, which broke out in a forest area in the Boztahta Neighborhood of the Kozan district of Adana at around 15:40 in the afternoon, grew rapidly due to the effect of the wind. Firefighting aircraft and helicopters from the Adana Forestry Regional Directorate intervened in the fire from the air, while water tenders and fire first response teams from surrounding provinces and districts intervened from the ground.

Source: news center