Wildfires continue to sweep Türkiye as several villages evacuated

BİLECİK

As Türkiye swelters under an intense heat wave, dozens of wildfires have erupted across the country, destroying homes, forcing mass evacuations and prompting widespread forest entry bans.

In the northwest, a blaze that started in Sakarya’s Taraklı district on June 27 spread into the neighboring Bilecik province, threatening the districts of Gölpazarı and Osmaneli.

All of the affected villages were evacuated, with several homes destroyed. Explosions were heard as gas cylinders ignited in empty houses.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç stated that Bilecik Gölpazarı’s open penal institution was evacuated as a precaution, with 1,081 inmates safely transferred to other facilities.

Families have been informed, and there is currently no threat to the penal institutions, the minister noted.

He also announced that ongoing judicial investigations related to the wildfires have resulted in the detention of 17 suspects so far.

In the western city of Manisa’s Akhisar district, a forest fire began on June 28, forcing residents from several surrounding villages to be evacuated.

Another fire in the northwestern province of Bolu’s Göynük erupted the same day, prompting intense aerial and ground intervention.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı noted that the fires in Bolu’s Göynük and Bilecik’s Osmaneli district have been brought under control, adding that the fire in Manisa’s Akhisar is also partially under control and currently does not pose any problems.

The minister confirmed a total of 150 wildfires had erupted over just two days, with 83 reported on June 28 alone.

With air support halted overnight, the minister emphasized that ground crews continue to fight the flames throughout the night.

He urged the public to be vigilant and avoid activities that could trigger new fires.

In another northwestern city of Bursa, a fire broke out between two neighborhoods in the İnegöl district.

The flames, which started in a landfill on June 28, quickly spread to nearby forested areas due to strong winds.

Due to the high wildfire risk, forest entry has been prohibited in 47 of the country’s 81 provinces between May 1 and Nov. 30, with specific start and end dates varying by region.

The bans cover several cities especially in Black Sea, Marmara and Aegean regions, aiming at preventing human-induced fires.

Separately, several other fires have been brought under control across the country.

In the Aegean province of Aydın, fires in the Efeler and Bozdoğan districts were extinguished after extensive efforts.

In Bozdoğan, 20 hectares were damaged, while in Efeler, a fire in a forested area with pine and olive trees destroyed 12 hectares.

In the southern city of Kahramanmaraş, a fire that burned for nearly 12 hours was brought under control by teams.

In the neighboring province of Gaziantep, a fire was extinguished after joint efforts by the local fire brigade and forestry teams.

Meteorology expert Fevzi Burak Tekin said temperatures are currently 6 to 9 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms, urging local authorities and residents to exercise extreme caution.