Türkiye sent two firefighting planes on Saturday to help fight wildfires in neighboring Syria as Turkish firefighters battle flames on the side of the border, and one person was reportedly killed in the western part of the country.
Syria’s Emergency Disaster Management Minister Raed Al Saleh said 11 fire trucks and water support vehicles were also sent to help defeat the flames in the northwestern Syrian Latakia region. He posted on X, saying “The sudden wildfire in Türkiye” delayed their arrival by nearly a day.
Türkiye has been fighting wildfires since June 26.
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Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Saturday that firefighters successfully controlled 10 fires in western Turkey but an injured forest worker died, the third largest fire in Odmis city of Izmir Province.
Authorities say most of the fires in Izmir are caused by power cord failures.
Meanwhile, in Hatai province, bordering Syria, emergency personnel continued to fight the fire, which broke out in Dortmund-Yol district near the residential area on Friday afternoon and was rapidly strengthened by strong winds.
Governor Mustafa Musatli said about 920 homes have been evacuated to prevent the flames of progress.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects were detained for 65 fires that broke out across the country.
Fires that have hit Turkey in the past week have burned due to high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity. In Türkiye, they caused thousands of evacuations and damaged about 200 homes.
Syrian Civil Defence expressed concerns about the unexploded ordnance of past conflicts in certain wildfire areas.
Summer fires are common in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
