Firemen battled multiple wildfires across Türkiye and Cyprus yesterday that have scorched swathes of land, forced the evacuation of towns and villages and killed 10 firemen in central Türkiye amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave.
At least six separate wildfires were burning across Türkiye, and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions.
Ten firemen were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, Yumakli said late on Wednesday, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar.
In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firemen struggled to contain them.
Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three Turkish provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe.
Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the Unesco World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated.
On the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, firemen battled for a second day to control a massive wildfire which engulfed mountain villages north of the city of Limassol. Six countries from Spain to Jordan were deploying aid, officials said.
Two people were found dead in their car, trapped by the blaze which started on Wednesday. Scores of homes were destroyed as people fled a towering wall of flames overnight.
Although the fire’s cause was not immediately known, authorities said they would be looking into the possibility of arson.
Authorities were struggling to contain flare-ups that were being stoked by strong winds, cranking up water drops by aircraft to prevent it reaching a state forest and before nightfall.
Meanwhile, Danish police evacuated a music festival yesterday and warned people in the west coast city of Esbjerg to stay indoors amid flooding caused by a cloudburst.
“Heavy rain came and we assessed that it was necessary to shut down the concert,” a police spokesperson said.
Police had initiated the evacuation of some 20,000 people, adding there were no reports of injuries.
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