Türkiye: Country faces new wildfire in northwest, 250 people evacuated overnight

More than 250 people were evacuated overnight Saturday to Sunday in Turkey following a new fire in the tourist province of Çanakkale (northwest), according to authorities. The fire started there on Saturday and spread quickly due to strong winds blowing on the hills near the town of Gelibolu, bordering the busy Dardanelles Strait.

"As a precautionary measure, 251 residents of five villages have been relocated to safe areas," Çanakkale Governor Omer Toraman wrote on X. Footage was released showing the hills lit by bright flames and huge clouds of smoke pouring into the night air.

Twelve planes and 18 helicopters joined the rescue operation at dawn, involving 900 people, the forestry department said. A popular tourist destination for its ancient Trojan ruins and the Gallipoli battlefield, where thousands of soldiers died during the First World War, the province has suffered from an "extremely severe drought" over the past year, the governor said.

Access to historical sites near the town of Eceabat has been closed "due to the ongoing forest fire," the management of the local World War I memorial said. Much of northwest Turkey has been hit by strong winds in recent days, although they abated on Sunday.

Already on August 11, more than 2,000 people had to be evacuated in this Turkish province due to a fire. A massive blaze devastated homes and poisoned dozens of residents. Turkey, which experienced its hottest July since weather records began 55 years ago, has faced several major fires in recent weeks. Fourteen people lost their lives fighting fires in July in the west of the country.