Wildfires scorched İzmir as fire brigades and the army scramble to intervene

Wildfires started by a lit cigarette bud devasted İzmir's forest as municipality officials and fire brigades intervene.

cumhuriyet.com.tr

A fire broke out in the forest area in Karacadağ, caused by a lit cigarette bud left in an hobby garden.

5 airplanes, 13 helicopters, 35 land vehicles, 7 water supply vehicles and 4 dozers from İzmir Regional Directorate of Forestry were dispatched to the region.

The Regional Directorate of Forestry reported that the fire broke out at 12.53 pm and the first intervention was carried out at 13.05 pm.

Teams have brought the fire under control with aerial and ground intervention as of today.

The Regional Directorate of Forestry teams are supported by fire brigades from various municipalities and riot vehicles of the Provincial Police Department.

Some hobby garden houses in the forest area have been evacuated due to the fire. Gendarmerie teams sounded sirens in the area where the houses are located and asked citizens to leave the area.

Some citizens with houses in the area took precautions against the fire by hosing the fire from the roofs of their houses and vehicles. Some greenhouses were damaged by the flames.

Ahmet Coşar, one of the citizens helped quell the flames, told an Anadolu Agency reporter that they could not understand how the fire broke out, that it broke out in İnönü and spread to the surrounding area. Coşar, who noted that he supported the fire intervention by bringing water with his tractor, said, "Now I am cooling the area. A house burned down up ahead. I am cooling it in case the cones spread."

Çamönü neighborhood near the flames was evacuated. Gendarmerie teams asked citizens to move quickly away from the fire.


Some municipality teams were seen working to move stray and wild animals away from the fire.


5 helicopters of from the Turkish Army Forces were deployed to quell the fire.