Raging wildfires have engulfed Turkey outside the country’s fourth-largest city – forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes.
Flames ripped through the forested mountains surrounding Bursa city in northwest Turkey overnight, shining a threatening red glow on the night sky.
It marks the latest city to be hit by deadly blazes this summer – as destinations in Greece and Cyprus have also fallen victim to aggressive wildfires amid unseasonably high temperatures.
The governor’s office in Bursa said more than 1,760 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,100 firefighters battled the flames.
The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed off as surrounding forests burned.
Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, likened the scene to ‘an apocalypse’.
Turkey has been hit by dozens of wildfires every day since late June – with Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yamukli revealing fire crews across the country approached 76 separate blazes yesterday alone.
The fires are being ignited by unusually high temperatures, alongside dry conditions and strong winds.
Flames rip through the forested mountains surrounding Bursa city in northwest Turkey overnight
Hundreds flee as wildfires spread rapidly to Turkey’s fourth-largest city, Bursa
Residents and firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire as smoke and flames rise from a forested area in the Gursu district of Bursa
Firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire as smoke and flames rise from a forested area in the Gursu district of Bursa early today
The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature – 50.5C (122.9F) – in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday.
The same day, homes and holiday properties burnt down in popular holiday hotspot Cyprus.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice in response to the devastation on the island.
Warning of ‘active wildfires’, the government highlighted the Paphos and Limassol districts as some of the affected areas, located in the south of Cyprus.
It added: ‘Transport and infrastructure (electricity, water) links in locations close to the fires may be affected whilst the authorities respond to the situation.’
Though the FCDO noted the airports in Paphos and Larnaca are ‘operating as normal’.
‘If you are due to travel to an area that might be affected by wildfires, contact your travel operator or accommodation provider before you travel to check that it is not currently impacted. Make sure you have appropriate insurance,’ the advice read.
The Foreign Office also included recommendations for those in the area or affected by the wildfires.
The fires are being ignited by unusually high temperatures, alongside dry conditions and strong winds
Emergency services and residents rest amid efforts to extinguish a wildfire in a forested area in the Gursu district of Bursa
Smoke and flames rise from a forested area during the latest major wildfire in Turkey
The fires are being ignited by unusually high temperatures, alongside dry conditions and strong winds
‘Be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires. You should follow the guidance of the emergency services,’ it stated.
‘Call the Cypriot Emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger.
‘Contact your airline or travel operator, who can assist you with information relating travel back to the UK.’
And yesterday, British tourists were put on alert as new Greece wildfires spread amid a 44C heatwave – as a blaze tore through the capital of Athens.
The southern European country was first hit with the scorching temperatures on Monday and they have not relented throughout the week.
After the mercury hit a blistering 44C high in Athens on Tuesday, a wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the capital yesterday.
Shocking pictures showed homes ablaze while residents of the town of Kryoneri, 12.5miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS warnings to evacuate.
