The worst blaze began Sunday in Seferihisar, a forested area 50 kilometres southwest of the resort city of Izmir, spreading rapidly with winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour, officials said.
“A total of over 50,000 citizens from 41 settlements have been temporarily relocated to safe areas,” AFAD wrote on X, saying 79 people had been affected by smoke and other fire-related issues, none seriously.
Footage showed huge areas of flame raging through forested areas, sending vast clouds of black smoke into the sky.
Overnight, around 20 evacuated homes were gutted by the blaze, with only the walls left standing, footage on private TV network NTV showed.
Residents in the seaside village of Urkmez had on Sunday fallen trees to create firebreaks and protect their homes as the flames advanced, a witness told AFP.
“Unfortunately, the wind is continuing to blow very strongly,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service warned about strong winds over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X that one person had been arrested for allegedly starting one of the wildfires in the Izmir area with gasoline.
Since Friday, 259 out of 263 fires were under control across Turkey, while efforts were ongoing to fight the remaining four, the agriculture and forestry ministry said. (AFP)
