A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir died of his injuries, raising the toll to three, a minister said Saturday, as the blaze at Odemis was brought under control.
Turkey was spared the recent heatwaves that hit the rest of southern Europe but firefighters have battled more than 600 fires in the drought-hit nation over the past week, which have been fuelled by high winds.
The fire in Odemis district, about 100 kilometres east of the resort city of Izmir, had on Thursday claimed the lives of a bedridden 81-year-old man and a 39-year-old forestry worker.
Another worker Ragip Sahin 鈥榳ho was injured while fighting the fire in Odemis and was being treated in hospital, has died,鈥� said agriculture and forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli on X.
He said the Odemis blaze had been brought under control by Friday evening alongside six other wildfires, mostly in western and central Turkey, although firefighters were still trying to control a blaze in the southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province.
In a video on X, Odemis mayor Mustafa Turan said the fire had ravaged around 5,000 hectares of land.
鈥楾he fire came violently to this area, there is nothing left to burn. About 5,000 hectares was reduced to ashes,鈥� he said.
On Monday, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people to escape a string of fires.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System website, there have been 96 wildfires in Turkey this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares of land.
Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and more intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkey to take measures to tackle the problem.