ISTANBUL, 30th June, 2025 (WAM) – Türkiye has evacuated more than 50,000 people from regions affected by forest fires across the country, with the western province of Izmir accounting for the majority of evacuations, the country's disaster agency said on Monday.
Fires have swept through parts of Izmir, Bilecik, Hatay, Sakarya, and Manisa provinces, prompting authorities to relocate residents from 41 different settlements to temporary safe zones, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Monday that the blaze was fanned overnight by winds reaching 40-50kmph (25-30mph) in Kuyucak and Doganbey areas of Izmir.
Over the past three days, emergency teams have responded to 263 wildfires nationwide, Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said during a press briefing in Izmir on Monday.
Later on Monday, the AFAD disaster agency said on X that “a total of over 50,000 citizens from 41 settlements have been temporarily relocated to safe areas”, saying most of them were from fires raging near the western resort of Izmir.
Helicopters, fire-extinguishing aircraft and other vehicles, and more than 1,000 people were trying to extinguish the fires, Yumakli told reporters in Izmir.