Firefighting efforts continue to extinguish the raging forest fire in the Orhaneli district of Bursa province. Strong winds have reignited the flames, and several villages have been evacuated. TRT reports on this.
A forest fire that started in the afternoon of July 27 in the Yakupalar neighborhood of Orhaneli district, located in the western region of Turkey's Bursa province, flared up again on the morning of July 28 due to strong winds.
According to officials, forestry and firefighting units are battling the flames by air and land. However, due to the intensifying winds, the fire is spreading rapidly to new areas.
Due to the fire, the villages of Dutluca, Ilıcaksu, Çamoğlu, and Çakmak in the Harmancık district have been evacuated for safety reasons.
The Orhaneli-Harmancık highway has been temporarily closed to traffic. Only emergency service vehicles are allowed on the road.
Ali Osman Tayır, the head of Orhaneli Municipality, stated in a social media post:
"The fire was under control, but the wind has reignited it. I call on citizens with water tankers to assist in supplying water," he said.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced in a statement that an investigation has been launched regarding the fire, and one suspect has been detained.
According to the minister, 21 people have been arrested as part of investigations into forest fires that have been occurring across the country since June.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but there are concerns that it may have been caused by human activity. Authorities are working to bring the situation under control.
