[REVISION HISTORY]

Turkey battles widespread forest fires

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-07-30 11:26 UTC → 2026-07-30 13:59 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The fire season persisted into late July, when AF AD recorded a single‑day outbreak of 90 forest fires across nine provinces – Antalya, Çanakkale, Manisa, Bursa, Muğla, Balıkesir, İzmir, Kütahya and Aydın. By the end of the day 81 ignitions were contained. The response involved more than 3,000 firefighters, 23 aircraft, 54 helicopters and 1,035 ground vehicles, together with emergency SMS alerts warning residents against open flames. In Balıkesir, gust‑driven flames moved from Gömeç to İzmir’s Bergama district, prompting evacuation of 53 villagers and protection of livestock. Antalya saw 45 homes evacuated in Alanya’s Fakırcalı and Beldibi districts, while Kumluca lost about 50 ha and 15 houses. Muğla’s municipalities coordinated units from the General Directorate of Forestry, MUSKİ water‑and‑logistics, the Coast Municipalities Union and veterinary services; Mayor Ahmet Aras supervised operations in Seydikemer and Fethiye, where livestock evacuation saved 52 large‑bovid and 20 small‑bovid animals. All but a handful of ignitions have been brought under control, illustrating Turkey’s multi‑agency effort against an unprecedented, heat‑driven wildfire crisis. On 30 July 2026 a new surge of more than 115 fires erupted, driven by extreme heat and winds up to 84 km/h. By the following day 110 blazes were fully contained, though 69 ignitions occurred outside forested areas. The flames threatened tourist zones along the Mediterranean coast, prompting evacuations of 45 houses in Alanya and 80 in Aydıncık, and the relocation of the same livestock numbers as earlier. Resources were scaled up to roughly 20 water‑dropping aircraft, 58 helicopters, 420 fire‑engine vehicles, about 200 bulldozers and nearly a thousand trucks, while SMS alerts covered nine provinces. International assistance saw two Turkish firefighting aircraft dispatched to Spain and France.

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