Wildfire near Turkey's Izmir airport halts flights

Duvar English

A wildfire that broke out in a forested area near Turkey's İzmir airport forced the airport to shut down and flights were diverted to nearby cities, budget carrier Pegasus said on July 18.

Pegasus said the İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport had been closed temporarily and its inbound flights were diverted to and landed at Bodrum Airport, in a statement on social media platform X.

As of 20 July, flights have been continued to be delayed as the fire extinguishing efforts continue nearby the airport.

Turkish authorities dispatched 7 planes and 16 helicopters to fight the fire, along with 35 fire trucks, a local governor's office said.

As the flames approached about 100 meters away from the houses in the Gaziemir district, the residents also joined the fight against fire, having a hard time due to heavy smoke.

As the flames threatened the neighboring houses, police and gendarmerie teams evacuated the residents. Beehives and barns in the area were also evacuated due to the fire.

Flames sweep across Turkey

A fire broke out in the forest area in the Foça district of İzmir as well.

The fire, which spread with the effect of the wind, was also effective in the Gendarmerie Commando Anti-Terrorist Operations School Command campus.

The fire, which started at noon, could only be brought under control in the evening.

Şahin Dönertaş, the Forestry Management Manager, who was in the pick-up truck that overturned during the extinguishing of a forest fire near in İzmir's Bergama district, died on July 18.

As of July 19, firefighter teams have been also continuing to work against a fire broke out in the agricultural field in Altıeylül district of Balıkesir province in July 18.

The governor's office stated that the fire started with a spark during hay baling in the field and spread to the forest.

The Balıkesir Governor's Office stated that grain harvesting and baling operations with combine harvesters were banned between 19-20 July in order to reduce the risk of fire in agricultural lands across the province.

Two of three people detained in connection with the fire were released while one suspect has been still in detention.

As the scorching heats and low precipitation affects Turkey, the number of fires increased throughout the country.

One of the main factors causing the fires in country is human-induced, particularly during the harvesting time.

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