1 month ago
18
In the province of Canakkale, a fire broke out in the Eceabat district, near the village of Buyukanafarta. The blaze was so strong that it eventually led to the closure of the 57th Regiment Memorial and Conkbayiri in the Historic Gallipoli Peninsula read more
 "After Greece, Turkey tackles wildfires, but why are Australia and New Zealand worried?")
Night sky turns orange as Turkey's wildfires rage on at the shores of Cokertme village near Bodrum, Turkey, August 2, 2021. File Image: Reuters
After Greece, severe wildfires are also spreading across Turkey with authorities fearing that the blazes would reach Anzac Cove, the burial site of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers. According to Turkey Today, the Eurasian nation is currently battling forest fires in four provinces: Canakkale, Bolu, Izmir, and Manisa.
In the province of Canakkale, a fire broke out in the Eceabat district, near the village of Buyukanafarta. The blaze was so strong that it eventually led to the closure of the 57th Regiment Memorial and Conkbayiri in the Historic Gallipoli Peninsula. Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli assured that the wildfires pose no risk to residential areas and stated that necessary precautions have been taken to mitigate the issue.
“Thankfully, the fire was contained before reaching the 57th Regiment Memorial. No structures were damaged at Conkbayiri. Our efforts will continue through the night, but everything is going well so far. I hope to share even better news tomorrow morning,” the Turkish official told reporters on Friday, Turkey Today reported.
Threat to an important site
Meanwhile, the governments of Australia and New Zealand are expressing concerns over the risk of wildfire spreading and reaching the Anzac Cove. In a joint press conference with New Zealand’s PM Christopher Luxon, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed concerns over the matter.
“Our thoughts today are also with our friends in Turkey. We understand there are efforts underway to control fires that are burning on the Gallipoli Peninsula," the Australian premier averred. “Gallipoli is, of course, sacred ground to both of our countries. Eighteen thousand were wounded during the campaign. And there were more than 7200 Australians buried in cemeteries or listed as missing there,” he added.
Authorities take hold of the situation
Turkish official Bekir Karacabey shared drone footage of the wildfires and maintained that the authorities are getting a hold of the situation. “We are intervening non-stop from land and air with the guards of #YeşilVatan to bring the forest fire in Eceabat, Çanakkale under control,” he wrote on X.
Çanakkale Eceabat’ta meydana gelen orman yangınını kontrol altına almak için #YeşilVatan’ın muhafızlarıyla karadan ve havadan durmaksızın müdahale ediyoruz.
Yangın riskinin olağanüstü hava şartları nedeniyle arttığı şu günlerde azami dikkat ederek başka yangınların önüne geçelim pic.twitter.com/mhRT55lhnF
“Let’s be careful to prevent other fires in these days when the risk of fire increases due to extraordinary weather conditions,” the Turkish official furthered. Meanwhile, Yumakli warned that the next three days of the operation to curb the forest fires will be “extremely risky” due to low humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
English (US) ·