Rapidly spreading forest fires forced Adnan Menderes Airport, one of Turkey’s busiest hubs, to temporarily close as authorities struggle to contain the flames.
Strong winds are threatening to worsen the situation in Izmir Province, on the country’s Mediterranean west coast.
The airport, which serves the popular tourist destination city of Izmir, was shut for a period yesterday with services just now returning to normal.
According to its website, flights scheduled to leave yesterday evening will finally be getting off the ground today – with one returning to London Stanstead after a delay of more than 20 hours.
Izmir Mayor Dr Cemil Tugay said: ‘Today is a very tough day for us – we are simultaneously battling numerous fires breaking out all across our beautiful Izmir.
‘In collaboration with relevant institutions, our Fire Department, along with heavy machinery, tankers, and all field personnel, is on high alert.
‘Our teams are working with all their strength to combat the fires, which have grown due to the effect of the storm, particularly in Menderes, Seferihisar, and Gaziemir.’
He said the ‘vast majority’ of the fires were ’caused by human hands’, and urged people in the area to be extremely careful.
Images posted by Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on X show firefighters in Izmir working through the night extinguishing flames with hoses in dense trees.
Ibrahim Yumaklı, the forestry minister, wrote: ‘Our heroes continue their relentless struggle against the flames under the toughest conditions, day and night, with all their might.’
Wildfires have also appeared in top tourist spots Antalya and Mersin, though authorities have reportedly contained or extinguished them.
Temperatures in Izmir are expected to reach 36°C later today, and could approach 40°C later this week.
Turkey is among the countries that have been worst-affected by the ongoing heatwave sweeping southern Europe.
Over the weekend, Spain, Portugal, Greece and France all issued extreme heat, wildfire and health warnings.
The Greek island of Chios, which is the fifth largest in the country, was ravaged by blazes that tore through 11,000 acres of bush and pasture land.
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