INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Firefighters were battling to contain wildfires in five Turkish provinces on Saturday, the Forestry Minister said, though a blaze in the
western Izmir region that broke out on Thursday had eased somewhat and residential areas were no longer at risk.The blaze in Izmir&s
Karsiyaka district was caused by a fire built by three people picnicking near an area of forest, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told
reporters, adding that authorities are close to identifying the people.&The intensity of the fire decreased, and there is no more risk to
residential areas at the moment,& Yumakli said
The fire was burning inside a valley which is hard to reach from land, he added.The blaze, which was fanned by strong winds, came close to
residential areas on Friday, damaging homes and businesses and forcing evacuations.Sixteen homes and 30 workplaces in an industrial site
were burned, Izmir mayor Cemil Tugay said in a post on social media platform X, while the Health Ministry said on Friday that 78 people had
been affected by the fire.Footage showed helicopters and planes continuing to drop water on the flames, as firefighters& efforts to contain
the fire from land went on.Firefighters are also working to contain wildfires in the western provinces of Aydin and Manisa, as well as the
northern provinces of Bolu and Karabuk, Forestry Minister Yumakli said.The General Directorate of Forestry has warned of a high risk of
wildfires across 12 provinces in northern and western Turkey for the next 10 days due to high temperatures, low humidity and strong
winds.Turkey&s coastal regions in particular have in recent years been ravaged by wildfires as summers have become hotter and drier, which
scientists relate to climate change
& ReutersThe post Firefighters battle to contain five wildfires across Turkey first appeared on Ariana News.
