ANKARA, Turkey — Five people were killed and dozens more required medical treatment after a fire that started with the burning of crop stubble spread through settlements in southeast Turkey overnight, officials said Friday, June 21, 2024.
The blaze erupted in an area neighboring the provinces of Diyarbakir and Mardin. Fanned by winds, it moved quickly through the villages of Koksalan, Yazcicegi and Bagacik, Diyarbakir Gov. Ali Ihsan Su said. The fire was brought under control early on Friday.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote on social media platform X that 44 people who were affected by the blaze and smoke, were treated in hospitals. Ten of them were in serious condition.
Television images showed a large blaze illuminating the night.
Across the country in northwest Turkey, meanwhile, firefighters were battling to contain a wildfire near the town of Ayvacik in Canakkale province, said the state-run Anadolu Agency.
No one was hurt but authorities evacuated the small village of Camkoy as a precaution, the agency reported.
It was one of several wildfires to have erupted in the province of Canakkale in the past week amid high winds and scorching summer temperatures. / AP