Wildfires Close In on Bursa as Blazes Continue to Devastate Türkiye

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Turkey wildfires hit fourth largest city in record 50C heatwave.

Wildfires sweeping across Türkiye have claimed at least 14 lives and are now threatening Bursa, the country’s fourth-largest city, as flames continue to engulf forested areas in the northwest.

According to media reports, more than 1,500 residents have been forced to flee their homes, and one firefighter has died while battling the blazes. The fires, which intensified overnight, have spread rapidly through the mountainous terrain surrounding Bursa, scorching more than 3,000 hectares of land.

Over 1,100 firefighters have been deployed to combat the flames. Authorities closed the main highway connecting Bursa to the capital, Ankara, as surrounding forests continued to burn. Mustafa Bozbey, Mayor of Bursa, confirmed that a firefighter died of a heart attack while on duty. The governor’s office stated on Sunday that 1,765 people had been evacuated from villages northeast of the city.

Orhan Saribal, a parliamentary opposition representative for the region, described the unfolding devastation as “an apocalypse”.

Though a drop in wind speeds brought some relief to firefighting teams by morning, television footage showed a bleak landscape where farmland and pine forests once stood.

The death toll includes 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers who perished on Wednesday in a wildfire in the western province of Eskisehir.

Unusually high temperatures, prolonged drought, and strong winds have fuelled a surge in wildfires across Turkey since late June. On Friday, the government declared the western provinces of Izmir and Bilecik disaster zones.

Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı, reported that fire crews across the country responded to 76 blazes on Saturday alone—28 in forests and 48 in rural areas. He noted that the northwest, including the province of Karabük, faced the greatest risk, with wildfires burning since Tuesday.

Minister Yumaklı also confirmed that Türkiye recorded its highest-ever temperature on Friday—50.5°C in the southeastern city of Şırnak. Data from the General Directorate of Meteorology indicated temperatures could rise by another 10°C from Saturday, with record July temperatures observed in 132 locations.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç stated on Saturday that prosecutors have investigated fires in 33 provinces since 26 June, with legal action taken against 97 individuals.

In a message to the public, Minister Yumaklı urged vigilance: “As the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, we are on the ground fighting forest fires with our planes, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, ground teams, AFAD, provincial governors’ offices, local governments, and NGOs. We are prepared, but the best and most effective way to combat fires—without cost, harm, or loss—is to prevent them from starting in the first place.”



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