Turkish firefighting forces were called to battle numerous fire fronts over the past 24 hours in İzmir, Denizli, Aydın, and Manisa. The forest fire that broke out on the borders of the Menderes and Seferihisar regions spread to residential areas, forcing authorities to evacuate at least 10 settlements, most of them in the Seferihisar area. The fire was visible even from the Greek islands, while ashes reached as far as Patmos.

As announced by Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, in the context of the investigation initiated by the İzmir Republic Prosecutor’s Office regarding the fire in the Buca area of İzmir province, one suspect was arrested for arson with gasoline. According to Tunç, 17 suspects have been arrested in connection with forest fire investigations in various provinces between June 26 and 28.

Indicatively, 77 fires broke out across Turkey on Sunday—53 of them in forests. A total of 1,459 fires were dealt with in one month. Several houses in Seferihisar were destroyed by the fire, which has been raging for over 12 hours. Due to strong winds, aerial intervention was limited, with Turkish authorities hoping that more aircraft will be able to fly today.

Flames Reached the Homes

Authorities urged citizens to evacuate their homes in several settlements where the fire was uncontrollable due to strong winds. Those who were trapped were rescued as the fire reached homes by nightfall.

An elderly man in a wheelchair was rescued in the town of Umur in Seferihisar.

Authorities carried the 70-year-old man, whose house had started burning, in their arms to their vehicles. The IHH Search and Rescue Team in İzmir handed the elderly man over to medical teams. According to reports, his health condition is good.

According to Turkish media, at least 10 neighborhoods have been evacuated. The fire spread across a wide area due to wind speeds reaching up to 120 km/h. It started in the upper part of the Doğanbey neighborhood and reached coastal residential complexes, where homes also began to burn.

Ground forces, numbering 1,200 firefighters—600 of whom are forest personnel—continued fighting the flames throughout the night, while aircraft, which had to stop operations due to strong winds and darkness, will resume once weather conditions improve.

Meanwhile, investigations into the causes of the fires continue, with arrests of arson suspects underway.

Three Fires Still Active

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated that 9 of the forest fires across the country were large, and that the fires in Manisa Akhisar, İzmir Kuyucak, and Doğanbey remain uncontrolled.

“Yesterday, there were 77 fires in our country. 53 of them were outside forests. I don’t want to label them strictly as forest or non-forest fires; I want to emphasize that we are not just dealing with wildfires here, but rather a full-blown battle. Nine of these fires were major. Of those, Akhisar in Manisa, Kuyucak in İzmir, and Doğanbey are still ongoing. All three fires are serious,” he said.

Yumaklı stated that the fire in Akhisar, Manisa, which had been partially brought under control, reignited due to wind. Other fires were brought under control through the intensive efforts of the teams. He noted that in İzmir, wind speeds reached up to 120 km/h in some areas, posing a crash risk to aircraft.

Yumaklı detailed that 1,113 personnel, 11 airplanes, 27 helicopters, 281 water tankers, construction equipment, and other vehicles were deployed in response to the fires in İzmir.

Ash Rain on Greek Islands

Due to the widespread fires in the broader region, ashes and the smell of fire reached as far as the island of Patmos. According to a holidaymaker on the island, thick smoke made it appear as if night had fallen by 19:30. The atmosphere was suffocating from the ashes, and the stench from the burning material was unbearable. They added that there was a massive mobilization, with the army, police, local authorities, and firefighters on full alert and readiness “so that no tragedy would befall us.”