13 Dead in Turkey Due to Wildfires

Wildfires raging in Turkey for several weeks now threaten the country’s fourth largest city, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes, according to the Associated Press.

The Bursa governor’s office reported that 1,765 people have been successfully evacuated from villages in the northeast of the country, with more than 1,100 firefighters battling the flames. The highway connecting Bursa to the capital Ankara has been closed due to the fire that erupted in the surrounding forests.

Opposition MP Orhan Sarıbal referred to the situation as “apocalypse.” As the morning winds eased, firefighters gained some respite and continued their attempts to extinguish the blaze.

On Saturday, firefighting teams across the country faced 76 separate wildfire spots. The fires are fueled by unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds. The Turkish Meteorological Authority reported a record high temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius in the southeastern Şırnak province on Friday.

In recent weeks, thirteen people have died, including 10 volunteer rescuers and forest management workers who were killed in a fire that broke out on Wednesday in Eskişehir, western Turkey.