26.06.2025 09:40
A forest fire that broke out in the Aliağa district of İzmir has been ongoing for more than 19 hours. While intensive intervention from both air and ground continues, over 550 citizens have been evacuated, and 175 houses have been emptied as a precaution. İzmir Governor Süleyman Elman stated that the fire is not yet under control, but its spread has been contained, noting that the wind has caused the fire to spread very rapidly.
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A fire broke out yesterday around 12:30 PM in the forest between Aliağa Bozköy and Foça Ilıpınar in İzmir's district for an undetermined reason. İzmir Regional Directorate of Forestry teams made their first intervention to the fire within 20 minutes.
To extinguish the fire, which grew due to the wind, 8 planes, 16 helicopters, 71 water tankers, 33 construction machines, 44 tankers, and 625 field personnel were involved. While 175 houses in Ilıpınar Neighborhood were evacuated, 550 citizens were evacuated as a precaution. After 19 hours, İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban closely monitored the efforts. In the evening, Governor Elban came to the coordination center for the fire, received information, and later made a statement to the press.
"MORE THAN 550 CITIZENS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED" İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban stated that 175 houses in Ilıpınar Neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution, and more than 550 people were evacuated, some of whom were placed in multi-purpose sports halls in Foça, while others went to relatives in nearby settlements.
"NOT YET UNDER CONTROL" Governor Elban stated that there were no fatalities or injuries due to the precautions taken, saying, "A forest fire started around 12:30 PM between Aliağa Bozköy and Foça Ilıpınar. Our first air vehicles began to intervene at 12:50. The very hot weather, the humidity dropping below 20%, and the strong and erratic winds caused the fire to spread very quickly. Our teams intervened in the fire both from the air and the ground; they continue to do so. However, as of now, the fire is not under control. The energy of the fire has decreased to a certain extent," he said.
"AT LEAST THEY ARE KEEPING THE FIRE FROM GROWING" Governor Elban, who said, "Thank God the humidity has increased a bit," stated, "From 12:50 to 8:15 PM, our 8 planes and 16 helicopters have been intervening from the air; with 71 water tankers, 33 construction machines, 44 tankers, and 625 personnel working in the field, our intervention continues uninterrupted. Although the number is not clear, we have some houses affected by the fire. With the precautions we took in the village centers, we prevented the fire from reaching the villages. In the affected houses, we had already evacuated our citizens with the precautions we took earlier. Our consolation is that we evacuated our citizens early, and there are no injured citizens at this time. None of our personnel who intervened have been injured either. This is a rural area. We quickly evacuated over 600 large and small livestock in this area, so there are no injured or dead domestic and livestock animals either. By taking advantage of the wind decreasing a bit and the humidity increasing a bit, our teams have managed to suppress the fire significantly. At least for now, they are keeping the fire from growing. I believe we will bring this situation to a certain point by morning," he expressed.
GOVERNOR'S WARNING ABOUT TEMPERATURE Governor Elban warned citizens to prevent new fires. He emphasized that those experiencing the fire are scared and that the personnel are fighting with all their might, saying, "The next 4-5 days will be very hot. Unfortunately, strong winds and a significant drop in humidity are expected. The environment poses every kind of risk for a fire. We ask all our citizens not to throw cigarette butts, not to light fires during renovations in the field, while having picnics, or while cleaning their gardens, and not to leave any small fire unattended in the field. As you can see here; thousands of our friends and hundreds of construction machines have been mobilized. Many people's homes and lives are at risk. We expect maximum attention and care from everyone. We are in very hot days," he stated.
While the teams' intense intervention in the area continues, the aerial intervention, which was halted due to darkness, resumed at dawn.
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