By Ayhan Uyanik and Michele Kambas
BILECIK, Turkey/NICOSIA (Reuters) -Firefighters across Turkey and Cyprus battled multiple wildfires on Thursday amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave that has scorched swathes of land and killed 10 firefighters in central Turkey.
At least six separate wildfires burned across Turkey and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and scorching heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions.
Late on Wednesday, Yumakli said 10 firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar, while some towns and villages were evacuated.
In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them and evacuated several villages. Some residents were later allowed to return to areas declared safe.
“They couldn’t intervene. There is no decent road, forests are thick and it’s rocky. Helicopters don’t work at night, and because they don’t work, they couldn’t intervene,” said Cemil Karadag, a resident of the village of Selcik.
“It engulfed our village from two or three sides, they couldn’t intervene … It spread very quickly with the effect of the wind, but, thank God, (the centre of) our village wasn’t damaged that much.”
In the Black Sea province of Sakarya, a wildfire erupted even as firefighters worked to contain another nearby. A key highway was shut due to the blaze, while some villages and towns were evacuated.
Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated, while a sixth blaze raged in the Western province of Manisa.
‘SHEER HELL’
In the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, firefighters battled for a second day to control a massive wildfire which engulfed mountain villages north of the city of Limassol.
Two people were found dead in their car, trapped by the blaze which started on Wednesday. Scores of homes were destroyed as people fled their homes overnight from a towering wall of flames.
Although the cause was not immediately known, authorities said they would be looking at the possibility of arson.
“It was sheer hell,” said Father Michalis, a Greek Orthodox priest who had to evacuate from Lofou village.
After subsiding early Thursday, authorities were struggling to contain flare-ups at midday, stoked by strong winds.
“Our focus right now is to control the fire, utilising to the maximum all ground and air forces,” government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said. “We are facing an unprecedented situation.”
In addition to air assets from Spain, Egypt and Jordan, Israel has also said it would send assistance, he said. Aircraft from the British bases on Cyprus were also assisting in the effort.
Ersin Tatar, president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognised only by Turkey and has been split from the island’s south, said his government was ready to help as well.
Although heatwaves and wildfires are common in this region, their impact on human life and the damage has become much more pronounced in recent years.
(Reporting by Ayhan Uyanik in Bilecik, Michele Kambas in Nicosia, and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Ece Toksabay and David Holmes)
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