ANKARA: Firefighters are battling a raging wildfire in the Aegean resort city of Izmir for a third day, Turkish media and officials reported on Saturday, with hundreds more people evacuated overnight.
Helicopters and air tankers, grounded by strong winds, continued their fight against the flames on Saturday morning. National Television the news channel reported.
The fire started Thursday and quickly spread to residential areas on winds blowing at 50 kilometers (30 miles) per hour.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 900 residents in five affected districts were evacuated overnight in Izmir.
A witness said AFP The thick smoke had turned the sky grey and the smell of smoke hung over the city, the third most populous in Turkey.
“At the moment, two planes and eleven helicopters are still working,” said Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, adding that residents of the city should not “worry.”
About 1,600 hectares (3,900 acres) have been affected, the minister said.
Six other fires continue to ravage forest areas in other cities in Turkey, including Bolu in the northwest and Aydin in the west.
Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events, including heat waves, more likely, longer lasting and more intense.
