Deadly wildfires spread across Turkey as thousands evacuated

WorldEnvironment
27 Jul 2025 • 6:11 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

  • Wildfires have threatened Bursa, Turkey's fourth-largest city, leading to the evacuation of 1,765 people from surrounding villages.
  • The fires, which spread rapidly overnight in the forested mountains near Bursa, caused the closure of the highway linking Bursa to Ankara.
  • These blazes are being fuelled by unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds, with Turkey recording its highest ever temperature of 50.5C in Sirnak province.
  • So far, 13 people have died, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers, amidst dozens of daily wildfires across the country since late June.
  • Prosecutors have investigated fires in 33 provinces, taking legal action against 97 suspects, while Izmir and Bilecik have been declared disaster areas.

IN FULL