Hundreds of firefighters and firefighting personnel are battling a forest fire from the ground and the air, caused by an accident involving a lorry that caught fire on a motorway in north-western Turkey. The flames, which started in the vehicle, subsequently spread to a wooded area in the district of Sındırgı, in the north-western province of Balıkesir.
Teams from the Regional Forestry Directorate were dispatched to the rural neighbourhood of Düvertepe after the fire – which started when a lorry caught fire on the Sındırgı-Simav motorway – spread to a nearby forest. It appears the wildfire began at around 2.00 pm local time (1.00 pm CET) when a fire broke out in a lorry carrying milk; the flames, which spread to a nearby pine forest, quickly intensified due to the wind, according to reports in Turkish media.
12 aircraft involved in fighting the forest fire
The forest fire in Balıkesir is being tackled from the air by a total of 12 aircraft – six aeroplanes and six helicopters – whilst, on the ground, 60 fire engines, construction machinery and around 300 personnel were taking part in the fire-fighting efforts, which were still ongoing this evening.
Also assisting in the efforts to contain the flames are fire brigade units from the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality and municipal teams from the Sındırgı Municipality itself, as well as volunteers from nearby villages. According to the latest reports, however, the fire remains active and the flames are advancing towards the district of Simav, in the neighbouring province of Kütahya.
Other active wildfires in north-western Turkey
Meanwhile, another wildfire has broken out in recent hours in a non-forested area of the Çekrice neighbourhood in the district of Mudanya, located in the neighbouring province of Bursa, also in north-western Türkiye. The fire is being tackled from the air by two helicopters and on the ground by eight fire engines, three water tankers and 78 firefighters.
Similarly, a forest fire that started in a wooded area near a residential area in the province of Bolu, some 250 kilometres east of Istanbul, has finally been brought under control following the intervention of several ground crews, according to reports from various media outlets in Turkey.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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