Wildfires burning across Türkiye have killed over a dozen people and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands, as authorities mount a large-scale response to contain the blazes amid scorching heat and strong winds.
According to the latest official reports, wildfires remain active at least seven provinces including Karabuk, Antalya, Mersin, Ankara, and Kahramanmaras where rugged terrain and dry vegetation have hampered firefighting efforts.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said major blazes in Silifke (Mersin), Serik (Antalya), and the Usak–Sivasli region have been brought under control, while cooling operations are still underway in Gazipasa, Antalya.
Fires also broke out near residential areas in Bursa, Türkiye’s fourth-largest city early Sunday, prompting the closure of major roads and the evacuation of surrounding villages.
Türkiye ramps up wildfire response
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a post on social media, said the country was waging a full-scale fight on both land and air put out the fires.
“Türkiye is carrying out a massive operation against forest fires by land and air,” Erdogan wrote on X.
“We remain on alert day and night with 27 aircraft, 105 helicopters, nearly 6,000 ground vehicles, 25,000 heroic forestry personnel, and 132,000 volunteers.”
In its latest update, Türkiye’s disaster response agency AFAD said 8,269 livestock animals were relocated from at-risk areas in Afyonkarahisar, Bilecik, Eskisehir, Antalya, Usak, Sakarya, and Karabuk.
Damage assessments were conducted in Karabuk, Sakarya, Bilecik, Antalya, Mersin, Usak, and Kahramanmaras, covering 56 homes, four barns, nine haylofts, and 10 storage units.
Authorities said support has been extended to affected households.
On Saturday, the government said it had responded to 84 separate fires across the country the previous day, 36 in forested areas and 48 outside them.
“We are going through high-risk days,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Yumakli said in remarks shared by the Turkish Communications Directorate on X.
“This will not be over in two or three days. We must remain on alert until at least October 2025 and not just us, but all of our citizens must remain vigilant.”
Yumakli also appealed directly to the public to help prevent further outbreaks, calling prevention the “least costly and most effective” form of fire control.
“Just a single spark is enough to destroy Türkiye’s natural resources, its beauty, and the living beings in those ecosystems,” he said.
“We cannot know where the next fire will start, but we are asking our citizens to support us in this with maximum sensitivity.”
He urged people not to light fires in open areas, especially at picnic sites over the weekend, warning, “Please, do not light fires outside designated areas. You can enjoy a picnic without ever striking a flame.”
The government has launched legal proceedings in dozens of provinces over suspected arson.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said 97 suspects were under investigation in connection with fire-related offences since the start of the season.
Europe burns amid extreme heat
Türkiye’s wildfires come amid a wave of extreme heat and fire outbreaks across southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, and France have all faced large-scale blazes in recent weeks, fuelled by soaring temperatures, drought and shifting winds.
In Syria’s Latakia province, fires scorched more than 16,000 hectares before being contained, with officials warning of long-term ecological fallout.
Challenges included wind, war remnants and landmines that hampered the response. International teams from Türkiye, Iraq and other neighbouring states assisted in the firefighting effort.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System, over 237,000 km² have burned across the continent this year —an area larger than Luxembourg— with more than 1,200 wildfires recorded so far.
Meteorologists warn that an unusually hot Mediterranean Sea could further intensify storms and wildfires through August, compounding the danger.
The World Health Organization has linked the surge in deadly fires, floods and heatwaves to accelerating climate change, warning that without urgent adaptation, heat-related deaths in Europe could double by 2050.
