Major forest fire in Çanakkale

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced that the forest fire that broke out in Çanakkale city center is progressing tangentially, primarily through the Kepez district and Çanakkale city center. Minister Yumaklı made statements to reporters at the Forestry General Directorate Fire Management Center regarding the forest fire in Çanakkale. Yumaklı stated that 29 forest fires broke out across the country today, 26 of which were brought under control, and that there were currently 3 ongoing fires in Çanakkale city center, Bursa’s Yenişehir and Karacabey districts. Yumaklı pointed out that the most severe fire among them all is the one in Çanakkale and said, "It started at 11:39 in the Damyeri area. We determined that it started from a land next to a settlement with a few houses. It spread rapidly due to the strong wind. The fire covered a distance of approximately 15.1 kilometers as the crow flies in a short time of 6 hours. Our friends tried to stop it at certain distances. However, the wind that caused the fire to advance was so strong that there were moments when our friends' efforts were not enough and it overcame them and moved on to the next distance." Noting that the wind in the fire area was blowing at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour and there was a humidity of 19 percent, Yumaklı explained that these conditions made it difficult to fight the fire. Yumaklı drew attention to the fact that they were focusing all their strength on protecting the settlements and said, "The good news is that the fire is currently advancing tangentially through the city center of Çanakkale, especially in the Kepez district." "Precautions have been taken for 9 villages" Stating that the forestry organization and other public institutions and organizations are supporting the firefighting under the coordination of AFAD in the worst-case scenario, Yumaklı said, "Since there has been much speculation, let me say right away, the state hospital and university are on alert, but there is no evacuation. Precautions have been taken for 9 villages. Of these, Kayadere, Damyeri, Belen, Ulupınar, Yağcılar and Kalabaklı have been evacuated. There are also the villages of Aşağı Okçular, Taşlı Tarla and Kızılcaören that are probably ready to be evacuated. The good news is that we have not lost any lives so far, thankfully." Yumaklı stated that there is no determination of the extent of material damage in the region and noted the following: "As of now, 8 planes, 26 helicopters, approximately 180 water trucks and construction equipment, and nearly 1,100 personnel are responding to this fire. At a certain stage of the fire, our Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Veysel Tiryaki, our Deputy Minister of the Interior, AFAD President Okay Memiş and our General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey went to the region. They are currently coordinating the work there. After providing this information, I will set off and go to Çanakkale, support our friends and monitor the fire extinguishing efforts on site under their coordination."