As unprecedented wildfires continue to rage across Turkey, flames have now reached the outskirts of Bursa, the country’s fourth-largest city, prompting widespread evacuations and a government emergency response.
Wildfires surrounding the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa intensified overnight, spreading through forested mountains and forcing the evacuation of more than 1,700 residents from nearby villages.
According to a statement from the Bursa governor’s office on Sunday, 1,765 people were safely moved as over 1,100 firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
The fire forced the closure of the main highway connecting Bursa to Ankara, as thick smoke and flames spread through surrounding woodland.
Local lawmaker Orhan Saribal, representing the opposition, described the situation as “an apocalypse,” with vast areas reduced to ash.
Although calmer winds offered some relief to emergency teams by Sunday morning, aerial images showed the scale of destruction across farmlands and pine forests.
Since late June, Turkey has faced a wave of wildfires, with 76 separate blazes reported on Saturday alone, according to Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yamukli.
The fires are driven by record-breaking temperatures, low humidity, and intense winds.
On Friday, the Meteorology Directorate reported the country’s highest-ever recorded temperature—50.5°C in Sirnak province—alongside heat records in 132 other regions.
The northwest remains at critical risk, including Karabuk, where fires have been burning for days.
Thirteen people, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry staff, have died in recent weeks, most recently in a fire in Eskisehir province.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed that prosecutors had opened investigations in 33 provinces since June 26, with legal action taken against 97 individuals.
In response to the crisis, the Turkish government declared Izmir and Bilecik disaster zones on Friday.
