Forest fire in İzmir brought under control! 200 homes evacuated, over 550 people relocated

A fire broke out for an as-yet-undetermined reason yesterday around 12:30 PM in the forest between Bozköy in the Aliağa district of İzmir and Ilıpınar in Foça. Teams from the İzmir Regional Directorate of Forestry made their first intervention within 20 minutes.

To extinguish the fire, which grew due to the wind and spread to the forested area in the Foça district, 8 aircraft, 16 helicopters, 71 water tenders, 33 pieces of heavy equipment, 44 tankers, and 625 field personnel were deployed. İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban closely monitored the operations.

Governor Elban, who arrived at the coordination center established for the fire in the evening, received information and later made a statement to the press.

"550 CITIZENS EVACUATED"

İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban stated that 200 homes in the Ilıpınar neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution, more than 550 people were relocated, and that some of those evacuated were placed in multi-purpose sports halls in Foça, while others went to stay with relatives in nearby settlements.

Stating that there were no deaths or injuries in the fire thanks to the measures taken, Governor Elban said:

“A forest fire started around 12:30 PM between Aliağa Bozköy and Foça Ilıpınar. As of 12:50 PM, our first aerial vehicles began intervening in the fire. Due to the very hot weather, the humidity level dropping below 20 percent, and the wind that was both fast and erratic, the fire began to spread very quickly. Our colleagues intervened in the fire from both the air and the ground; they continue to do so. However, as of now, the fire has not been brought under control.

The energy of the fire has decreased to a certain extent. Thankfully, the humidity level has also risen slightly. From 12:50 PM until 8:15 PM, our intervention has continued uninterrupted with 8 aircraft and 16 helicopters from the air, and 71 water tenders, 33 pieces of heavy equipment, 44 tankers, and 625 personnel working in the field."

FIRE PREVENTED FROM REACHING THE VILLAGE

"Although the number is not exact, there are some homes affected by the fire. With the measures we took in the village centers, we prevented the fire from reaching the villages," said İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban, adding:

"We had already evacuated our citizens from the affected homes with the measures we took earlier. Our consolation is that, as of now, we evacuated our citizens early, and we have no injured citizens. We also have no injuries among any of our personnel intervening."

"This is a rural area. We also quickly evacuated over 600 head of cattle and small livestock in this region, so there are no injured or dead domestic or livestock animals.

Taking advantage of the wind decreasing slightly and the humidity increasing a bit, our colleagues have suppressed the fire well. At least for now, they are suppressing the growth of the fire. I think we will bring this to a certain point by morning."

Governor Elban issued warnings to citizens to prevent new fires. Emphasizing that those who experienced the fire were fearful and that the personnel fought with great dedication, Governor Elban continued:

"The next 4-5 days will be very hot. Unfortunately, very strong winds and a significant drop in humidity along with the north wind (poyraz) are expected. The environment presents every kind of risk for a fire to occur. We request all our citizens not to throw cigarette butts, not to light fires during renovations in the field, while picnicking, or during garden cleanups, and not to leave even the smallest fire in the field without extinguishing it. You see here; thousands of our colleagues and hundreds of pieces of heavy equipment have been mobilized. Many people's homes and the people themselves are affected, facing life-threatening situations. We expect maximum attention and care from everyone. We are in very hot days."

While the intense intervention of the teams in the region continued, the aerial intervention, which was halted as it got dark, resumed with the first light of day.

FIRE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL

The General Directorate of Forestry finally stated that the fire had been brought under control, announcing: "Following our intense struggle throughout the night, we have brought the İzmir Aliağa fire under control. Our cooling efforts in the region are continuing."