Statement from İzmir Governor Elban on the Çeşme fire

Making statements regarding the fire in the Çeşme district of İzmir, İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban said, "The fire does not currently pose a direct threat to residential areas."

Efforts to extinguish the fire, which began in an agricultural area and spread to a forested area in the Çeşme district of İzmir, are continuing without interruption. Teams from the İzmir Regional Directorate of Forestry are also continuing their intervention. Extraordinary efforts are being made to bring the flames under control in an area where strong winds are a factor. Arriving in the region to make a statement, İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban stated that the fire has not yet been brought under control. Governor Elban said, "Our fire started today around 13:40 in a grassy area in the Ildır locality of our Çeşme district, and due to the effect of winds reaching 85 km/h, the fire began to advance very rapidly toward the South."

"WE INTERVENED IN 13 MINUTES"

Discussing the intervention status, Governor Elban said, "Our teams began intervening in the fire from the air and ground within approximately 13 minutes. However, due to the effect of the very high winds, the fire began to spread rapidly toward our Germiyan, Karaköy, and Nohutlu villages. Until 20:30 in the evening, we fought the fire with 6 planes and 20 helicopters in the air, and from that time until now and through the morning, our colleagues have been continuing our efforts with 217 ground vehicles, 783 personnel, and in addition, our gendarmerie and police personnel who are ensuring traffic and security in the surrounding area," he said.

"IT THREATENED 3 VILLAGES"

Stating that three villages were threatened, Governor Elban said, "Therefore, we evacuated these three villages. As of now, the fire has not yet been brought under control. However, thank God, we have had no loss of life or injuries so far. As a precaution, we evacuated these three villages. We have also evacuated some residential complexes in the Ildır locality where the fire started. For now, it does not directly threaten residential areas. Although there is sometimes a new line of fire from Ildır toward Germiyan, there does not appear to be a serious problem regarding residential areas at the moment. However, the fire has not been brought under control," he concluded.

News Source: İHA