Firefighters continue to battle five wildfires in Turkey

Firefighters in Turkey were continued to battle five blazes burning for a fourth day on Sunday in several areas across the country’s west. 

The country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate, AFAD, says more than 131 forest fires have erupted in the past week.

The authorities blame low humidity, strong winds and high temperatures as exacerbating factors with scientists also blaming climate change for the frequency and intensity of wildfires.

Firefighters are tackling the fires on land and from the air, with dozens of aircraft and hundreds of vehicles aiding in the emergency response.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the affected areas, although there have been no reports of any casualties.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Ibrahim Yumaklı, said 69 wildfires had so far been contained but there remain five active blazes in the provinces of Izmir, Aydın, Manisa, Karabuk and Bolu.

And he said the current situation doesn’t warrant an international appeal for assistance but advised caution through the weekend.

“We are in a critical period and must remain vigilant until Sunday. Our teams will respond day and night to any incidents,” he said.

Meanwhile authorities detained four people in the central province of Bolu in connection to the fires, two of whom were placed under arrest and the other two released on probation.

The General Directorate of Forestry warned people not to light fires outside for the next 10 days because of the weather conditions across western Turkey, warning of a 70% greater risk of wildfires.

Firefighters extinguished on Friday a blaze in Canakkale province that threatened World War I memorials and graves at the Gallipoli battle site.

At the peninsula where Ottoman troops beat back an Allied landing in a yearlong campaign in 1915, the flames reached Canterbury Cemetery, where soldiers from New Zealand are interred. Images of the site in northwest Turkey showed soot-blackened gravestones in a scorched garden looking out over the Aegean Sea.

Meanwhile, authorities detained four people in Bolu in connection with the fires, two of whom were arrested and two released.

In June, a fire spread through settlements in southeast Turkey, killing 11 people and leaving dozens of others requiring medical treatment.

Portugal fighting blaze on Madeira island

Lisbon is sending a special force of 80 firefighters to the Autonomous Region of Madeira to fight a fire that has been raging for three consecutive days.

“The Regional Government announces that all the necessary logistics are currently underway to allow 80 members of the Special Firefighters‘ Force to arrive in Madeira in the next few hours,” read a note sent to the press and quoted by Lusa news agency.

The fire broke out on Wednesday morning in Serra de Água, in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, and spread to neighbouring parishes, leading to the evacuation of residents for safety reasons.

According to Madeira’s Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, “around 50 families have received clinical, social and psychological support” after being evacuated from their homes due to the approaching flames.

According to Renascença radio, 54 operatives are on the ground, supported by 18 vehicles and the helicopter of the Regional Civil Protection Service of Madeira, as well as members of the PSP and the Institute of Forestry and Nature Conservation.