Firefighters in Turkey fight against forest fires in the center of the northwest province of Canakkale, stretched by strong winds, and hundreds of residents were evacuated as a precaution, local authorities and the media said on Monday.
Aircraft, helicopters, vehicles and around 700 staff are fighting the flames, said the city governor, Omer Toraman, in a position on X. The authorities have launched precautionary evacuations, including a university and military and residential areas, urging residents to avoid unnecessary trips to keep the roads for emergency vehicles.
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The city’s airport and the Strait of Dardanelles, as well as in the context of the highway, were closed for several hours on Monday before reopening after sunset due to forest fires.
Reuters’ images have shown flames consuming forest expanses with thick smoke that swells in the sky. Helicopters have been seen picking up water from the Dardanel Strait and soaking the flames, while police vehicles transforming water worked to turn off the flames that had spread to certain residential buildings.
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Temperatures in the region have reached 33 degrees Celsius with wind speeds up to 66 kilometers per hour, according to the meteorological service of Turkey.
About fifty people were affected by smoke and treated in nearby medical establishments, but none was deadly, the governor said.
