Four people have been killed in Turkey as they attempted to fight wildfires that are now approaching the country’s fourth largest city.
Fires continue to rage in forested areas around Bursa, a city of more than three million residents, after blazes broke out in 84 locations across the country on Saturday, Turkey's government communications office said.
The fires continued to wreak havoc on Monday, as high winds and temperatures above the seasonal average complicated efforts to extinguish them.
Authorities said more than 3,000 residents have been evacuated from the area and that helicopters, aeroplanes and thousands of ground personnel have been deployed.
“Unfortunately, extreme winds developed here during the day, causing renewed flare-ups,” said Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said of efforts to contain the fires in the Bursa area.
Firefighter Ramazan Saskin, 38, suffered a heart attack while responding to a wildfire near Bursa. He had a broken leg but volunteered to help fight the blazes, Turkish media reported, before suffering a blood clot in his lungs.
Three other people were killed when a water truck aimed at extinguishing fires north-east of Bursa rolled into a ditch and crashed for unknown reasons, Turkish broadcaster NTV reported. Mr Yumakli confirmed three men had been killed.
Bursa city itself has not been directly impacted yet, but the fires have edged closer to the huge urban centre, with smoke billowing across the sky.
Severe wildfires have broken out across Turkey on a daily basis since late June, burning thousands of hectares of land and prompting widespread evacuations of residents. Weather forecasters have predicted more hot weather and high winds, heightening the risk of more fires.
The four deaths yesterday add to ten search team members and forestry workers who were killed while attempting to fight blazes last week. Two other people were killed earlier this month.
