ISTANBUL, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) — Around 1,000 people were evacuated and numerous homes destroyed after two wildfires broke out in Türkiye’s northwestern Canakkale province on Friday, authorities said Saturday.
Murat Kurum, minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, said on the social media platform X that teams have begun damage assessments, with 43 buildings in Sacakli village severely damaged or destroyed and assessments in other villages still underway.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli stated that nearly 1,000 residents had been evacuated to safe areas, noting that the fires were fully brought under control on Saturday.
Photos published by Milliyet daily showed that many homes in the affected villages had been reduced to ashes.
The blazes also caused temporary disruptions to air traffic and maritime traffic on the Dardanelles Strait, a vital passage connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara and serving as a crucial route for international shipping.
