Fire reaches the city, two helicopters were not enough, mayor tells 12punto... Izmir abandoned to the flames

A fire that broke out in the evening hours on Yamanlar Mountain in Izmir's Karşıyaka district spiraled out of control due to the wind and spread to residential areas. Speaking to 12punto, Bayraklı Mayor İrfan Önal said, "The fire is being intervened in, but it is not enough. We are evacuating our citizens in the affected area. We have houses that are burning."

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Fire reaches the city, two helicopters were not enough, mayor tells 12punto... Izmir abandoned to the flames

Semih Demirhan

A forest fire that broke out yesterday evening in the Kartepe area of Yamanlar Mountain, located in Izmir's Karşıyaka district, has spiraled out of control.

While the first intervention to the fire was made at 21:15, 13 fire trucks, 3 water supply vehicles, 2 bulldozers, and 3 ground crews belonging to the Izmir Regional Directorate of Forestry carried out operations throughout the night.

Due to the darkness, aerial intervention was not possible at night, but the fight against the fire continued with the morning hours. With the first light of day, 2 planes and 4 helicopters took off to extinguish the flames.

BAYRAKLI MAYOR İRFAN ÖNAL CALLS FOR EVACUATION OF HOMES

The fire, which crews were intervening in, spread significantly due to the effect of the wind and began to threaten residential areas. Many central parts of Izmir were covered in smoke due to the fire.

As the uncontrollable fire threatened other residential areas as well, Bayraklı Mayor İrfan Önal announced in a statement on his X social media account that the fire had reached residential areas and called on citizens to evacuate their homes as soon as possible.

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Fire reaches the city, two helicopters were not enough, mayor tells 12punto...

Izmir abandoned to the flames https://t.co/A5vEBEjVVz pic.twitter.com/MskXStG6hA
— 12punto (@12puntohaber) August 16, 2024

Speaking to 12punto about the latest situation in the fire zone, Önal said that the fire is being intervened in but it is not sufficient.

'WE HAVE HOUSES THAT ARE BURNING'

Stating that the geographical structure of the region makes it difficult to intervene in the fires, Önal said, "Support was provided with two helicopters in the morning hours, but they were not enough either. The flames are coming from Doğançay and Sancaklı village and moving from Seyirtepesi towards Karşıyaka. There is a major fire on Yamanlar Mountain right now."

Stating that there was no loss of life in the fire, Önal said, "We have houses that are burning. We hope there will be no loss of life. We are evacuating our citizens in the affected area. However, there is still fire in many points right now," he said. Önal also stated that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

In a statement made by the Karşıyaka Municipality, it was stated that the flames had reached animal shelters and said, "We are calling on all animal lovers to help with the evacuation of our dear friends in our shelter."

A forest fire had also broken out on Yamanlar Mountain on August 13, and the flames were extinguished in 21.5 hours.