A major fire, which broke out for as yet unknown reasons on a beach on Büyükada – one of the famous Princes’ Islands off the coast of Istanbul – spread rapidly to a nearby forest, causing moments of panic amongst holidaymakers and leaving at least four people suffering from smoke inhalation, who had to be hospitalised.
The fire broke out at around 7.30 pm yesterday on Viranbağ beach; it initially started at a restaurant situated by the shore, but quickly spread to the wooded area behind the establishment. After the emergency services were alerted by people in the area, teams of firefighters, medical services and police attended the scene.
A firefighting helicopter provided support from the air, whilst firefighters battled the forest fire from the ground, reported the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. The firefighters eventually managed to extinguish the fire, although cooling operations in the area to prevent any potential flare-ups continued for several hours.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey announced in a statement that “to support the efforts to extinguish the forest fire on Büyükada, in Istanbul, the emergency response vessel Nene Hatun and the high-speed rescue boat KEGM-4, belonging to our General Directorate of Coastal Safety, were deployed to the area. Our teams continue to carry out their duties in coordination with the relevant authorities”.
The fire that broke out on Viranbağ beach caused great alarm amongst those in the area due to the speed at which it spread; four people who were near the beach and were affected by the thick smoke received initial medical attention from the health services, and were subsequently taken to the shore by the rescue teams, from where they were evacuated to the hospital on Büyükada. According to the latest reports, however, all of them are out of danger and their condition is not serious.
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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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